Seven years after Mirror's breakthrough debut transformed home fitness, founder Brynn Putnam is returning to TechCrunch Disrupt with her next venture. The serial entrepreneur who sold Mirror to Lululemon for $500 million will unveil a stealth gaming hardware startup focused on face-to-face social experiences at Moscone Center this October.
The stage is set for another breakthrough moment. Brynn Putnam, the visionary behind Mirror's $500 million success story, is preparing to unveil her latest venture at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025. Seven years after her connected fitness device debut changed how millions work out at home, Putnam returns to the same San Francisco stage where it all began, this time with gaming hardware designed to bring people together rather than isolate them behind screens.
The announcement comes as consumer hardware investment experiences a dramatic renaissance, with Lerer Hippeau — the same firm that led Mirror's $3 million seed round — already participating in what sources describe as a highly competitive funding round for Putnam's stealth company. The venture firm's repeat backing signals strong confidence in Putnam's ability to identify and capitalize on emerging consumer trends.
Putnam's timing appears characteristically prescient. Where Mirror capitalized on the growing desire for boutique fitness experiences at home, her new company targets what she sees as the next cultural pendulum swing — people's increasing desire to disconnect from individual screens and reconnect with family and friends in person. "We're about to enter a golden age of hardware," Putnam recently told TechCrunch at a StrictlyVC evening, pointing to the convergence of mature display technologies, affordable components, and AI capabilities.
The new venture represents a philosophical shift for Putnam. While Mirror focused on individual performance and self-improvement, her gaming hardware startup emphasizes shared experiences and relationship building. She describes the approach as using technology not as the primary experience but as an enabler for better human connections — a stark contrast to today's screen-dominated gaming landscape.
Drawing inspiration from Nintendo's philosophy of "withered technology with lateral thinking" — combining mature, affordable components with innovative experiences — Putnam is applying the same strategic thinking that made Mirror successful. Rather than pushing technological boundaries, she's focusing on creating compelling user experiences with proven hardware, a approach that kept Mirror's costs manageable while delivering premium experiences.
