Rebundle, a St. Louis startup that makes and sells plant-based hair extensions, plans to add to its team and establish a new local manufacturing facility after raising $1.4 million in a pre-seed funding round.
Several investors participated in Rebundle’s financing, including St. Louis startup funder Arch Grants, a nonprofit. Other investors included RareBreed Ventures, M25, Closed Loop Partners’ Ventures Group, Sku’d Ventures, Chicago Early, Big Delta Capital, Precursor Ventures, Evergreen Climate Innovations and Innocreative Capital.
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Rebundle as they deliver amazing products that are healthier for people and the environment,” said Mike Asem, a partner at Chicago-based venture firm M25. “Getting to know the amazing team, and seeing how much their audience truly loves them and their products — we see a clear opportunity for this company to build a category-defining brand.”
Rebundle, led by co-founder and CEO Ciara Imani May and co-founder and chief marketing officer Danielle Washington, makes plant-based braid hair extensions it says are “catered to the health and environmental needs of primarily Black women who wear braided protective styles.” Imani May launched the company based on her own experience using hair extensions.
“In 2019, I was looking for a solution to the itchiness as well as the waste associated with hair extension,” she said. “I got a lab sample on a couple of brands to find what they were made out of and learned they were made out of core materials that didn’t belong on our bodies nor in the environment.”
Rebundle launched its first product, braid better, in 2021. That product is made using naturally extracted banana fiber. The startup says its products have sustainability components both in how they are made and how they can be discarded after use. After being used, Rebundle says its products can be disposed of in home compost bins or with yard waste.
Initially based in Charlotte, Rebundle relocated to St. Louis after winning a grant from Arch Grants in 2020. With its fresh funding, Rebundle plans to expand its presence in the region. That will include expanding its sales channels, adding to its team and setting up a new manufacturing facility locally, it said. That facility, Rebundle said, will be “one of the only hair extension factories” in the U.S.
“With this funding round, Rebundle will be able to better meet our customers' demands and scale sustainably, so they no longer need to compromise their health for beauty,“ Imani May said.
Rebundle currently has four full-time employees, with plans to soon raise that figure to six by hiring two chemists. It plans to move into its new manufacturing facility this spring.
