Seven years after unveiling Mirror at TechCrunch Disrupt in 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. The event will take place at San Francisco’s Moscone West in October.
Putnam’s journey from that breakthrough Disrupt moment to today is a story of exceptional 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 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 together face-to-face rather than isolate them behind individual devices.
Putnam recently stated that we are about to enter a golden age of hardware, pointing to the convergence of mature display technologies, affordable components, and advanced AI capabilities that make new types of interactive devices possible.
This new venture represents a shift in priorities for Putnam. Where Mirror focused on individual performance and self-improvement, her latest project emphasizes 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 mature, affordable components combined with innovative experiences, Putnam is following the playbook that made Mirror successful. Rather than pushing technological boundaries, she is focusing on creating compelling user experiences with proven hardware.
The gaming space is a natural next step for Putnam, who built her reputation on understanding how technology can motivate behavior change. Her background in 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 in-person interaction.
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. This signals strong investor confidence in her ability to identify and capitalize on emerging 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 leverages AI and mature component ecosystems to create new categories of devices.
Putnam’s appearance at Disrupt 2025 coincides with TechCrunch’s 20th anniversary. The event will bring together major voices in tech to share insights on the future of innovation. For entrepreneurs and investors watching consumer tech trends, Putnam’s return offers a chance to see how one of the category’s most successful founders is positioning for the next wave.
The event will be held from October 27 to 29 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center.