Dawn Myers is making it easier to style, detangle, and care for curly hair
Richualist is one of TechCrunch's Battlefield 200 Companies!
Dawn Myers' innovative product, Mint, aims to simplify the process of styling, detangling, and caring for curly hair. Myers, who wears her hair in an afro, found wash days tedious and time-consuming, taking around an hour and a quarter to complete. She noticed a lack of tools designed specifically for textured hair during a pitch for a hair product on Shark Tank, which inspired her to develop a solution.
Her prototype, Richualist, became a reality after she collaborated with Dow, a materials science company. Mint uses refillable product pods and warming technology to detangle, condition, gel, and style hair in just seven to ten minutes, reducing shedding and breakage by up to 70%. Myers faced challenges in securing funding for her hardware company, as investors were often unfamiliar with the unique needs of textured hair.
Despite selling her home and 401(k) to fund the initial development, Myers successfully secured $1.4 million in venture funding. After being diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer, she closed a round while undergoing treatment and appeared on Shark Tank in 2023, securing deals from Mark Cuban and Emma Grede. Her company was recognized as one of TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200 startups and will be showcased at TechCrunch Disrupt, the annual startup conference.
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