Niyo Hair and Beauty Receives National Innovation Award from Innovate UK

By Dami Folayan

1 minute 28 seconds

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Quick Read: Innovate UK has earmarked a £6.2 million boost for 233 high-potential entrepreneurs across the UK, providing funding and tailored business support. Among the recipients of the Begin Award is Niyo Hair and Beauty, a Birmingham-based innovator recognized for its sustainable plant-based hair extensions. The initiative aims to foster the growth of future innovation leaders and stimulate the UK's economy through targeted support for groundbreaking projects like Niyo Hair and Beauty's award-winning concept.

Birmingham-based Niyo Hair and Beauty, founded by Oyinkansola Adebayo, has been honored with a national innovation award from Innovate UK, the UK's Innovation Agency. The prestigious accolade supports Dami Folayan, an awardee of Niyo Group, in transforming her groundbreaking idea of plant-based hair extensions into a viable product.

Dami Folayan, one of 233 high-potential innovators awarded by Innovate UK, will receive 12 months of tailored business support to nurture her plant-based hair extension concept. The award, known as the Begin Award, aims to stimulate the UK's economy by supporting fresh innovation talent.

Niyo Hair and Beauty is renowned for revolutionizing the hair and beauty industry, combining technology and sustainability to reshape textured hair care. The Begin Award will empower Niyo Hair and Beauty to launch their award-winning project, "Enhancing Textured Hairstyling With Sustainable Products: the Plant-Based Future of Textured Hair Extensions."

The innovative project focuses on producing biodegradable textured hair extensions, introducing a sustainable alternative to the current market dominated by human hair and synthetic plastic extensions. Niyo Hair and Beauty aims to make the textured hair industry more economically viable and environmentally sustainable by reducing plastic waste from synthetic hair extensions.

Dami Folayan, the project lead, emphasized that her inspiration stems from personal experiences of underrepresentation in the Birmingham haircare scene. She highlighted the lack of options for women with textured hair, emphasizing the importance of sustainability, representation, and economic viability in the textured hair industry.

Oyinkansola Adebayo, CEO of Niyo Hair and Beauty, expressed excitement about piloting the project to address challenges within the textured hair industry. She emphasized the cultural significance of false hair within the black community and the need for transparency in the sourcing of these products.

Innovate UK's Begin Award is part of a broader effort to support innovation talent, with over 2,100 entrepreneurs applying for funding and business mentorship. The recognition aligns with the UK's push for innovation, seeking to inspire and connect individuals to new opportunities in the field.

Niyo Hair and Beauty's Begin Award will support the development of plant-based hair extensions, offering a sustainable alternative in the textured hair industry.

What's new

DigiSpinWM Pilot Celebrates Milestone as 11 Investor-Ready Innovations Emerge in the West Midlands

The DigiSpinWM pilot programme, a bold initiative designed to accelerate the spin-out of digital and advanced manufacturing innovations in the West Midlands, has marked a key milestone with a showcase event in Birmingham, unveiling 11 investor-ready ventures developed over the past six months.

Transforming Ideas into Investment Opportunities

Backed by Research England and delivered through a partnership between the University of Wolverhampton, Coventry University, and Birmingham City University via the West Midlands Combined Universities, the programme set out to test a collaborative model for commercialising innovation more efficiently and effectively.

In just six months, DigiSpinWM has:

- Assessed over 40 high-potential technologies for commercial viability
- Delivered tailored support to participants on spin-out strategy and intellectual property development
- Nurtured 11 ventures to investment readiness
- Developed a shared framework for technology transfer across participating universities

The recent showcase celebrated these achievements, spotlighting innovations spanning early-stage development to near-market solutions with the potential for significant societal and economic impact.

A Regional Model for Innovation

Ceri Jones, Director of Research & Enterprise at the University of Wolverhampton, reflected on the programme’s success:

The DigiSpinWM pilot has been a transformative journey. Seeing 11 investor-ready ventures emerge from such a collaborative, regional approach shows what’s possible when we unify efforts across institutions. These spinouts will drive real-world change and position the West Midlands at the forefront of digital and advanced manufacturing.

The pilot’s success is also credited to a strong ecosystem of academic mentors, business advisors, and industry reviewers who provided essential support and guidance to participants.

The showcase event featured live pitches from select ventures to an audience of investors, stakeholders, and innovation leaders, marking a key step towards unlocking the funding required to bring these innovations to market.

With the DigiSpinWM model proving its value, the programme signals a new chapter for spin-out activity in the West Midlands—one built on collaboration, shared infrastructure, and investment-ready innovation.

By Anushka Malhotra

8 Jun