For Cyriac Lefort, the idea behind his new startup, MyHair AI, sparked two years ago. The French entrepreneur was in a New York hair salon getting a routine haircut when his stylist pointed out, “You’re starting to lose a bit of hair.” At 32, Lefort found it jarring; he’d never considered himself balding.
“He didn’t say that to my friend sitting next to me, just to me,” Lefort noted. “In my mind, I wasn’t balding, and I still don’t think I am. But when someone tells you you’re losing your hair, you buy whatever they suggest.”
So, he purchased the shampoo his stylist recommended and left with a realization: anyone could sell a man just about anything if they insinuated he was losing his hair. “Hair loss is such an emotional topic for men and women,” he shared.
This exchange prompted Lefort to dive deep into the hair loss industry, revealing a maze of misinformation and clinics filled with unverified reviews. (Later, a hair doctor assured him he was, in fact, not balding.)
Determined to help others, Lefort envisioned a product that would leverage AI to help men diagnose hair loss.
A serial entrepreneur, Lefort had previously exited one company and was running two others alongside Tilen Babnik, 28. They decided to team up and create MyHair AI. They quickly developed the product in just a few weeks. Here’s how it works: users take photos of their heads and upload them to the MyHair app. The AI examines these photos to assess hair density and identify early signs of hair loss.
As users upload more pictures over time, the AI tracks their hair’s progress and helps them establish personalized hair loss protection routines. They can also connect with specialists, discover clinics, and read verified reviews to avoid scams.
“Our AI reveals the reality of your hair’s condition, matches you with products suited for your hair type, and explains the science behind them, including potential side effects,” Lefort explained. “By introducing transparency and medical accuracy to this $50 billion market, we aim to completely reshape how people understand, treat, and shop for hair health.”
It took the duo about a year to ideate, a few weeks to vibe code on Cursor, and several months for scientific and clinical validation before they launched MyHair.AI this summer.
“We didn’t hire anyone for the initial prototype; it was entirely vibe coded,” he said, adding that now, as the product has expanded, their engineers manage the code to ensure its reliability and scalability. MyHair AI illustrates how quickly startups can develop today with the growing trend of vibe-coded prototypes.
Lefort mentioned that they already have over 1,000 paying subscribers and 200,000 user accounts. The app has assessed more than 300,000 scalp photos and has partnerships allowing specialists and clinics to access MyHair AI, enabling faster evaluations for their patients. Recently, the company announced that renowned dermatologist Dr. Tess has joined its board.
Competitors like Hims are in the market, but Lefort believes MyHair AI stands out due to its unique AI model, specifically trained on over 300,000 hair images to diagnose baldness, rather than relying on a generic LLM.
Now, the company’s focus is on expansion. They aim to create a booking platform and collaborate with more clinics, with hopes of building AI that operates effectively in the “real world.”
“Men worry about two things regarding their health: sexual dysfunction and hair loss,” Lefort pointed out. “We tackle one of the biggest everyday concerns.”
