Board, the three-year-old startup from Mirror founder Brynn Putnam, has raised $20 million in Series A funding to scale its physical-digital board game platform. The round was led by Union Square Ventures (USV), with General Partner Michael Mignano joining Board's board of directors. Angel investors include Biz Stone, Tim Ferriss, and Scott Belsky.
Funding and Investor Confidence
The raise comes approximately eight months after Putnam unveiled Board publicly at TechCrunch Disrupt last October. The company had previously raised $15 million in funding led by Lerer Hippeau, which had also led Mirror's $3 million seed round years earlier. That bet paid off when Putnam sold Mirror to Lululemon for $500 million in 2020.
Ben Lerer, managing partner of Lerer Hippeau, expressed renewed enthusiasm for consumer tech: “I’m more excited about consumer than I’ve been in a long time,” he told TechCrunch late last year. “We’re seeing a very high-quality group of founders saying, ‘Now’s the time to get back in the pool.’ There are things that are possible today that weren’t possible six months ago or a year ago, and the slope is steep.”
Product and Traction
The $399 Board device is a 24-inch touchscreen in a wood-finish frame that uses proprietary technology to recognize physical game pieces, blending the tactile feel of board games with interactivity of video games. Since launch, Board has entered tens of thousands of homes, schools, hospitals, and restaurants across all 50 states. According to the company, 85% of customers average 30 or more play sessions per month.
AI-Powered Creation Platform
Alongside the funding, Board announced Board Studio, an AI-powered creation platform launching later this year. It will let anyone build original games using natural language prompts—from idea to playable prototype in under an hour, according to the company.
Broader Implications for Consumer Tech
Putnam sees Board as a natural extension of her experience building Mirror. “Mirror was very much about me,” she told TechCrunch. “It was my reflection, my performance, it was about making your own self better. At that next phase, my life was really just much more about my family and my friends and my relationships.” The result is a product built around the idea that technology can bring people together physically.
The raise signals a resurgence in consumer hardware investment, driven by what AI makes newly possible. For enterprise technology leaders, Board demonstrates how AI can be embedded in physical products to create intuitive, engaging user experiences. While the target is consumer, the approach—combining hardware, software, and AI—offers lessons for any industry seeking to blend digital and physical interactions.
| Funding Round | Amount | Lead Investor | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series A | $20 million | Union Square Ventures | Michael Mignano joins board |
| Previous (undisclosed round) | $15 million | Lerer Hippeau | Also led Mirror's seed round |
| Mirror Seed | $3 million | Lerer Hippeau | Sold to Lululemon for $500M in 2020 |
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