FOUNDERS
After the exits, two founders build for the room instead of the screen
Brynn Putnam, who sold connected-fitness company Mirror to Lululemon for $500 million in cash, and Tristan Walker, who sold Walker & Company Brands to Procter & Gamble reportedly for $20 million to $40 million, are both building again around offline connection. Putnam has raised $35 million for Board, a 24-inch touchscreen table; Walker's Heirloom Craft is buying fine-craft trade schools.
Both second acts trace back to a chosen end point rather than the loudest available market. Putnam, now a mother of five in a blended household that went from three people to seven, wanted a product an ageing grandparent and a child could share. Walker started Heirloom out of worry that artificial intelligence was stealing knowledge work and pulling people apart, targeting a chain broken for 50 years.
Source: TechCrunch Startups · September 20, 2026