Fyyne – formerly known as the Black Hair Network – is a startup that allows hair artists to run their businesses more effectively and efficiently. Fyyne uses proprietary technology to connect relevant artists with customers and simplifies the entire booking process from discovery to payment.
The platform enables customers to book appointments online with their ideal hair artist, whom they’re able to select based on the artist’s portfolio, rating, location and price. Fyyne acts as a software service for the hair artists that lets them manage the discovery of new customers, schedule and book appointments and also handle payments. The mission for this startup is to build a community by creating a network of resources by and for the Black community.
On Feb. 25, Fyyne launched its Minimal Viable Product. It had just a few weeks of feedback before all operations came to a halt due to the pandemic. During the quarantine period, Fyyne utilized this time to refine its product and further tailored its solutions to barber’s needs.
A more positive outcome from this severe situation was that it “accelerated the timeline towards the digital services” that Fyyne offers. Historically, the hair industry has been more of an informal industry – it consisted of a lot of cash, casual bookings and word-of-mouth referrals. The change in the environment recently has allowed people who were not initially interested in a digital solution to embrace this new idea at a much faster rate.
Co-founder Jeffrey Fasegha stressed the importance of the aid provided by ICUBE in regard to its mentorship program as well as the resources it provides. The mentors at ICUBE helped the founders “understand how to build a team and how to build an MVP” and proved to be a great support system for the business entrepreneur.
Furthermore, Fyyne utilized the vast variety of resources ICUBE provides, in particular the ICUBE studio. The studio has provided Fyyne with many “integral” digital services – such as designing the company’s website, making sure it’s GDPR-compliant and re-designing Fyyne’s logo.
Fyyne is getting ready to launch its platform in the early months of 2021. It already has a waitlist of more than 100 customers who signed up through early access on the website. Working alongside the Ontario Barber Association, Fyyne has been able to substantially grow its network.
