

A Beauty service e-commerce marketplace with a focus on inclusivity in tech.
Between 2016 and 2022, I co-founded and ran Ebena, a SaaS company with a mission to create a specialized app for the African hair braiding industry. Having many family members and friends in the hair braiding business, I observed that Black hair professionals faced unique challenges around booking, payments, and finding clients. Existing technology was not suited to their business model, which was different from that of conventional salons. This gap in the market became the driving force behind our decision to create a solution tailored to the needs of this community.
After developing an MVP, we received great feedback and built a strong community around the product. By listening closely to their needs, we made significant improvements and launched a new product: Smartbook by Ebena. This beauty service marketplace offered booking, e-commerce tools, and customized technology to connect solopreneurs and small businesses with their clients, addressing the industry’s specific challenges around payments, marketing, and technology. Through this venture, I gained valuable insights into tech, diversity, and user experience design.

Business service & e-commerce web page. Designed to help business owners sell their talents and goods directly to their clients through a provided public link they can share on social media or directly with clients. This page was also made accessible using a search directory map feature.

Menu navigation as viewed by business account owner.
