Key facts
- Founders are creating companies focused on bringing people together offline.
- Brynn Putnam's new company, Board, makes a touchscreen table for group play.
- Tristan Walker's Heirloom is scaling trade schools, starting with leatherworking.
- Loneliness was classified as a global health challenge by the WHO in June of last year.
- Two-thirds of Americans prioritize experiences over material purchases.
- Adam Neumann's venture Flow has raised over $450 million for its residential real estate concept.
A growing number of founders, including those who have previously achieved successful exits, are focusing their new ventures on fostering offline human connection. Brynn Putnam, who sold her connected-fitness company Mirror to Lululemon for $500 million, has launched Board, a company creating a 24-inch touchscreen table designed for group play rather than solitary use. Similarly, Tristan Walker, who sold Walker & Company Brands to Procter & Gamble, is now scaling fine-craft trade schools through his venture Heirloom, starting with a leatherworking school in San Francisco.
These entrepreneurs believe that technology has eroded social connection, and they see a significant market opportunity in restoring it. The World Health Organization's Commission on Social Connection classified loneliness as a global health challenge in June of last year, estimating that one in six people worldwide are affected. A recent Harris Poll survey indicated that two-thirds of Americans are prioritizing experiences over material purchases, with many finding retail shopping too generic.
Other founders pursuing this trend include Andy Dunn, whose company Pie has evolved into a social life operating system, and Audrey Gelman, who founded the Six Bells Countryside Inn, a guesthouse hosting interactive murder-mystery dinners. Putnam stated that Board was developed to address the challenge of finding products that allow people of different ages and abilities to play together, aiming to use technology to bring people together rather than apart. Walker expressed concern about AI's impact on work and community, motivating him to create ventures that bring people back together.
Walker believes the U.S. has lost its ability to transmit mastery in various crafts, and Heirloom aims to reverse this trend. He noted that about half of Gen Z and Gen Alpha do not want a four-year degree, with many young tech workers seeking "phones-down creative outlets" at Heirloom's San Francisco location. While the funding for these ventures is relatively small compared to traditional venture-backed startups, Adam Neumann's residential real estate venture Flow has raised over $450 million on a similar premise of solving loneliness through physical space. The success of these "togetherness" ventures as a distinct investment category remains to be seen, but the founders involved have a track record of building successful brands.