Seven years after unveiling Mirror at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018, Brynn Putnam is returning to the stage where it all began. The serial entrepreneur who turned a fitness concept into a $500 million acquisition by Lululemon will debut her latest venture at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 at San Francisco’s Moscone West in October.
Putnam’s path from that breakthrough Disrupt moment to today is a story of very smart timing. Mirror, the connected fitness device that brought boutique workout classes into homes, launched just as the pandemic created unprecedented demand for home fitness solutions. The timing proved so prescient that Lululemon acquired the company for $500 million just two years after its Disrupt debut.
Now Putnam is betting on another cultural shift — the growing desire to disconnect from screens and reconnect with family and friends in person. Her new company, still operating in stealth mode, is developing consumer gaming hardware designed to bring people face-to-face rather than isolate them behind individual devices.
“We’re about to enter a golden age of hardware,” Putnam recently told TechCrunch at one of its investor-focused StrictlyVC evenings, pointing to the convergence of mature display technologies, affordable components, and AI capabilities that make new types of interactive devices possible.
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The new venture represents a shift in priorities for Putnam. Where Mirror was about individual performance and self-improvement, her latest project focuses on shared experiences and strengthening relationships. She describes it as using technology not as the primary experience but as an enabler for better human connections.
Drawing inspiration from Nintendo’s philosophy of using “withered technology with lateral thinking” — mature, affordable components combined with innovative experiences — Putnam is following the playbook that made Mirror successful. Rather than pushing technological boundaries, though, she’s focusing on creating compelling user experiences with proven hardware.
The gaming space represents a natural next step for Putnam, who built her reputation on understanding how tech can motivate behavior change. Her boutique fitness studios taught her how to create engaging group experiences, lessons she applied to Mirror’s virtual classes and now to gaming scenarios that encourage face-to-face interaction.
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Lerer Hippeau, the venture firm that led Mirror’s $3 million seed round, has already participated in a highly competitive funding round for Putnam’s new company, signaling strong investor confidence in her ability to identify and capitalize on consumer trends.
The timing also aligns with a broader resurgence in consumer hardware investing. After years of focus on enterprise software and AI infrastructure, investors are showing renewed interest in consumer-facing hardware that can leverage AI and mature component ecosystems to create new categories of devices.
Putnam’s appearance at Disrupt 2025 comes as TechCrunch celebrates its 20th anniversary, and attendees can be assured we’re bringing together the biggest names in tech to share insights on the future of innovation.
Meanwhile, for entrepreneurs and investors watching consumer tech trends, Putnam’s return to the Disrupt Stage will provide a chance to see how one of the category’s most successful recent founders is positioning for the next wave of innovation. Don’t miss it. Register now for Disrupt 2025 to see what Brynn Putnam unveils next.
The tech epicenter of the year runs October 27-29 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center.
For an Investor Pass that includes access to the StrictlyVC event at Disrupt — plus exclusive perks — click here to learn more and secure yours.
Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images
