For many women, especially women with textured hair, figuring out what works best for their curls can feel like conducting a science experiment. Computer scientist and entrepreneur Candace Mitchell took this experiment seriously, which led to the creation of the groundbreaking AI-powered beauty brand, MYAVANA. Founded in 2012, the renowned tech-forward hair care company offers products that use data-driven intelligence to thoroughly analyze your unique hair structure, giving you personalized guidance on finding the best products, ingredients, and regimens for your crown. What started as an idea from her college dorm in 2010 evolved into a multi-million dollar empire with an astounding $50M valuation following a $5.9M seed round led by Ulta Beauty.
Candace sat down with BAUCE to share more about the journey of bringing MYAVANA to life, her STEM background, and the importance of filling the equity gap for Black-owned beauty brands.
Making Her Own Solution
The idea for MYAVANA was born from Candace’s personal struggles with her natural hair. After deciding to wear her natural curls in college at Georgia Tech, she quickly started to notice the drying effects of countless natural hair products that were advertised to do the opposite. Fed up with constant trial and error, she began researching the science of hair.
“There have to be some other variables involved that affect how products react on your hair. So I researched the science of hair and discovered that your hair is as unique as your fingerprint,” Candace explained. “Even though, yeah, this curl pudding says moisture, and it’s working on my roommate’s hair, it may not necessarily work on my hair.”
That discovery inspired her to create her own solution to this common problem so many women of color face. In 2012, she officially launched MYAVANA.
Meshing Together Two Worlds
Candace always loved hair care, but she has roots in the STEM field. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, she received a B.S. in computer science with a particular focus on human-computer interaction. However, she first began to dabble in software development in high school, building websites for fun and helping friends add special code to their Myspace and Black Planet profiles. She even competed on her school’s computer engineering team.
While she was happy in the tech world, pursuing beauty was something she had always fancied. “I actually wanted to go to cosmetology school. And I was like, ‘Okay, I could, I could do hair school at night and go to tech during the day,’ but I never did because tech was so demanding. I definitely wanted to blend both fields together.”
MYAVANA presented the perfect opportunity to do so. However, coming from a tech-heavy background brought a bit of culture shock when transitioning into the beauty industry.
“In beauty, it’s more relationship-driven, with trends and personalities shaping the industry, while tech is more straightforward.”
It took a few years to find her rhythm in the business; she wasn’t able to find reliable mentors in the beauty space until about three to five years in. But once she found her footing, she discovered that MYAVANA’s integration of beauty and tech presented a unique selling point she could use.
“I think everyone’s still finding their way in the industry and figuring out, like, Okay, who is best to work with and partner with. But as we built out MYAVANA, I realized that we actually play a role for everyone in terms of how AI and personalization are going to impact the hair and beauty industry now.”
The Science Behind MYAVANA
The continuously evolving science behind MYAVANA began with the launch of its first product, the hair analysis kit. With this kit, users can send hair strands directly to the MYAVANA labs, where experts perform an assessment on their hair’s texture, type, and condition to create a healthy hair care plan. The hair kit not only served as the first of many products by the hair care company but also had a form of data collection to gain more insight into the many different combinations of hair types.
“Today, we’ve analyzed over 2 billion hair strands,” Candace shared. “We have taken the data from those images in the digital assessments to create our recommendation system. Now we can automate that process with AI just by taking a photo.”
This goes beyond the traditional 1A-4C hair typing model many of us know. Instead of limiting recommendations based on the 12 curl types in this system, the technology behind MYAVANA expands to over 972 hair types, providing a more accurate spectrum of the range of hair types possible. Each person’s unique Hair ID is based on several variables, including curl pattern, porosity, elasticity, density, and overall hair health.
“If you color your hair, straighten your hair, decide to wear it in a fro… whatever you do to it is transforming the profile of your hair,” Candace explained to BAUCE. “We have to take all of that into account. That’s why personalization and AI are the best way to do this, because it can encapsulate all of that.”
Breaking Through Barriers
The success of MYAVANA didn’t happen overnight. When Candace first launched the company in 2012, she only had $1,000 in her checking account. After nearly a decade of research and refinement, by 2021, MYAVANA was valued at $20 million. Then, in early 2024, the company reached a groundbreaking milestone: securing a brand partnership with Ulta Beauty and closing a $5.9 million seed round, pushing its valuation to $50 million.
This rapid growth is impressive, especially in an industry where Black-owned brands account for only 2.5% of revenue in a multi-billion-dollar market.
Candace didn’t have a secret formula for success—she simply showed up consistently. This led her to many opportunities that seemed like fate, including her deal with Ulta Beauty.
She recalls meeting reps at Ulta Beauty when attending a tech industry trade show. She wasn’t sure who all would be attending, but she had an inkling that she needed to be there.
“I remember we were just sitting there and like, man, ‘What retailer do we want to work with next?’ We were like, Ulta. Ulta is the top one. And then the digital innovation team walked up later that day.”
Not only was Ulta Beauty interested in a retail partnership, but they also made a strategic investment in the company. This allowed MYAVANA to finally close its seed round, after two years of raising funding.
Candace received a golden opportunity, but it was also met with preparation. At the time, MYAVANA’s mobile application had about 50,000 subscribers.
“You have to balance both sides: pitching for funding while also building your customer base, because that’s the traction that investors are ultimately looking for.”
Importance of Supporting Black-Owned Beauty
Candace has always been intentional about uplifting other Black-owned brands. The MYAVANA app even features an option to shop them directly. Still, she urges Black consumers to make a conscious effort to buy from these businesses more consistently.
“We are the top consumers, but we don’t match the equity and ownership in the beauty industry,” she says. Systemic and cultural barriers often block access for Black women entrepreneurs, but Candace believes consumers have the power to help close the gap.
“I think number one is consciousness and awareness, because I think we inherently know we should shop at Black-owned businesses. But have we consciously made it a practice, and how we consciously prioritize that, and how we spend our money, we haven’t. It’s kind of been more so based on convenience and popularity.”
Beyond MYAVANA’s innovative strides in the industry, Candace also expressed excitement about other brands bringing creativity to beauty. She highlights Pattern for its inventive launches and styling tools, Richualist for its heat-based product absorption tool, and Free Bundles, a plant-based braiding hair company she’s currently loving.
Looking Ahead
With a promising market outlook for MYAVANA, the future is beaming with possibilities for the AI-powered hair care company.
Candace shared with BAUCE that the company is preparing to launch a new campaign, Meet Me on MYAVANA, positioning the app as the ultimate hair care destination and personal assistant for women everywhere.
The brand is also expanding its international footprint with a franchise investment in Africa — they launched their first pilot store in Uganda in early 2024.
Candace’s story is proof that you don’t have to choose between two passions. The fusion of beauty and tech in the creation of MYAVANA is shifting the beauty landscape, helping thousands navigate their natural hair journeys and redefining what’s possible in hair care.
To get your own personal AI-powered CARE system, you can download the app from the App Store or Google Play.
