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Richualist Makes TechCrunch Battlefield 200 as Hair-Tech Startup Scales

October 11, 2026 at 14:19 EDT

Sales & Business
Funding & M&A

Richualist, a hair-care hardware startup founded by entrepreneur Dawn Myers, has earned selection as one of TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200 companies for 2026, marking a milestone for the consumer beauty technology space. The company will exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, taking place October 13–15 in San Francisco, where it competes for $100,000 in equity-free funding and the Disrupt Cup.

October 2026 · TechCrunch

Hair-Tech Startup Joins Battlefield 200

Richualist, founded by Dawn Myers, advances to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 with The Mint, a thermal styling tool designed for textured hair.

Styling Time: Before and After

Before 80+ min

After 7–10 min

Breakage Reduction

Up to 70%

Reported reduction in shedding and breakage

Shark Tank Deal

$150K

Mark Cuban & Emma Grede (2024)

Key Milestones

→ Founded 2018 by Dawn Myers to address gap in textured-hair styling tools
→ Shark Tank Season 15 (2024): Mark Cuban and Emma Grede invest $150K for 15% equity
→ Ulta Beauty expansion (2026): The Mint becomes available on Ulta's online platform
→ Battlefield 200 (Oct 2026): Selected among 200 startups for TechCrunch Disrupt; competes for $100K equity-free prize

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