The Startup Betting on In-Person Play
In a world where screens increasingly pull people apart, a new startup called Board wants to do the opposite — bring them together, physically, in the same room. Board, founded by Brynn Putnam, the entrepreneur behind the connected fitness mirror Mirror (acquired by Lululemon in 2020 for $500 million), has just closed a $20 million Series A round led by Union Square Ventures.
The company describes its products as "together tech" — a term it's coined to describe hardware and software designed specifically to facilitate in-person social experiences rather than solo or remote ones.
Who Is Brynn Putnam?
Putnam has a track record of spotting underserved consumer categories before they go mainstream. With Mirror, she helped pioneer the at-home connected fitness space at a time when the idea seemed niche. Now, she's turning her attention to what she sees as another gap in the market: meaningful, engaging in-person entertainment.
After selling Mirror to Lululemon, Putnam spent time thinking about what comes next for consumer technology — and landed on the conviction that the pendulum is swinging back toward shared, physical experiences.
What Board Actually Makes
Board's products sit at the intersection of gaming and social hardware. While the company hasn't released exhaustive product details, its pitch centres on games and experiences that require people to be present together — think tabletop-adjacent experiences with a tech twist, designed to reduce phone use and increase face-to-face interaction.
Notably, Board says it has already sold thousands of units before even closing this funding round — a signal that the concept has early product-market fit beyond just venture enthusiasm.
Why Union Square Ventures Is Betting on It
USV is one of the most respected early-stage funds in tech, with a history of backing transformative platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, Etsy, and Coinbase. Their lead on this round signals serious conviction in both the founder and the thesis.
The investment aligns with a broader cultural moment: post-pandemic fatigue with remote-everything and a growing desire for genuine connection. Loneliness has become a public health talking point in the US, UK, and Canada, and consumer startups pitching antidotes to screen addiction are attracting real investor interest.
The Bigger Picture
Board isn't alone in betting on the "social togetherness" wave. Companies like Jackbox Games (which powers party game nights around a TV), and even Nintendo's local multiplayer focus with the Switch, have shown there's a durable appetite for experiences that happen in a room rather than across an internet connection.
What makes Board interesting is the hardware angle — building a physical product that anchors the experience, rather than just an app. That's a harder, more capital-intensive path, but it also creates more defensible differentiation if it works.
With $20 million in fresh capital and thousands of units already in homes, Putnam is making a clear bet: the future of gaming isn't just digital — it's in the same room as the people you love.
Source: TechCrunch
