Mirror’s Founder Unveils ‘Board,’ a New Connected Gaming Screen
▼ Summary
– Brynn Putnam, founder of Mirror, has launched a new tech-powered gaming console called Board that blends board games and video games.
– The device features a 24-inch screen in a wood-finish frame that recognizes touches, gestures, and physical objects for group play.
– Priced at $500, Board includes 12 launch games and 50 game pieces, with AI planned to personalize experiences and enable user creativity.
– The startup has raised $15 million to date from investors including Lerer Hippeau, First Round, and Box Group, and plans an app store for external developers.
– Putnam chose gaming for its universal appeal, believing play unites people more broadly than fitness, which was the focus of her previous venture.
Brynn Putnam, the entrepreneur who launched the connected fitness company Mirror, has introduced a groundbreaking gaming device named Board. This innovative console merges the tangible appeal of traditional board games with the dynamic capabilities of digital gaming. Putnam, who previously sold Mirror to Lululemon for $500 million, revealed Board during a presentation at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference in San Francisco, marking her return to the startup scene.
Board is designed to bring people together, much like classic board games, but it features a 24-inch touch-sensitive screen set within an elegant wood-finish frame. This screen not only responds to touches and gestures but also recognizes physical game pieces placed on its surface. The size comfortably accommodates four to six players gathered around it, fostering a shared social experience.
At its debut, Board will retail for $500 and include twelve launch games along with fifty different game pieces. Putnam emphasized that artificial intelligence will play a crucial role in the device’s evolution, tailoring gameplay to individual users over time. She envisions AI enabling features such as voice and vision inputs, adaptive storylines, dynamic environments, and accessibility options like translation and voice-to-text. “We’re excited about AI’s potential to personalize experiences on the device,” she noted. “Ultimately, Board will become a platform for creative self-expression, allowing anyone to design and create.”
The initial game library was developed through collaborations between Board’s internal studio and external developers. Looking ahead, the company plans to open the platform to more creators and launch an app store where users can access a wider variety of experiences.
Board has secured $15 million in funding to date, with support from Lerer Hippeau, the venture capital firm that also backed Mirror’s early funding round, as well as First Round and Box Group. A Series A funding round is currently in progress.
When asked why she chose gaming for her next venture, Putnam explained that play is a universal human activity. “Fitness isn’t for everyone, and not everyone enjoys working out at home, but play connects us all,” she said. “It’s a common language that brings people together.”
(Source: TechCrunch)
