A small but growing number of founders are betting on bringing people together offline

Brynn Putnam and Tristan Walker are two founders who have sold their successful companies to larger businesses. Putnam sold her connected-fitness company, Mirror, to Lululemon for $500 million in just three years, while Walker sold his men's grooming brand, Walker & Company Brands, to Procter & Gamble for $20 million to $40 million. Both founders now have new ventures that share a common goal: bringing people together offline in the same room.

Putnam's new company, Board, is a 24-inch touchscreen table that recognizes physical game pieces and gestures, designed for people to sit around and play together. Walker's Heirloom is acquiring and scaling fine-craft trade schools, starting with a leatherworking school in San Francisco and running a fund to support founders with profitable businesses.

Both founders believe that technology has eroded connection over the past decade and see an opportunity to address this growing global health challenge, as loneliness affects roughly 1 in 6 people worldwide and is linked to 870,000 deaths annually.

The timing of this fundraising opportunity couldn't be better, as Americans are increasingly prioritizing experiences over material purchases and are gravitating more towards social connections. East Coast entrepreneurs are also leading the way in this space, with other founders like Andy Dunn of Bonobos and Audrey Gelman of the Wing also focused on creating connections.

For Putnam, Mirror was born out of her own life experiences as a mother-to-be, fitness enthusiast, and brick-and-mortar studio owner. Board, on the other hand, was created to address the lack of products that enable people of different ages and abilities to play together. Walker's inspiration for Heirloom came from concerns about AI's impact on work and community. He wants to bring people back together by preserving manual skills and fostering apprenticeships.