# Board By [Union Square Ventures](https://blog.usv.com) · 2026-06-02 social, gaming --- We’re delighted to share that USV has led a $20M Series A in [Board](https://board.fun/), the world’s first face-to-face game console. As technology has continued to pull us more inward, many of us feel an increasing need to connect with others. In person, through real, shared experiences. Take gaming, for example. I grew up playing Nintendo and Super Nintendo, huddled around my living room CRT television with my sister, parents, friends. As I grew older, and the technology changed, so did my habits, and my gaming turned inward. I transitioned to Warcraft on my PC, and eventually to casual games and The Battle of Polytopia on my iPhone. But now I’m looking for reasons to put away my phone and be present with others. I’m attending more live sporting events and concerts than I have in my entire life. And instead of playing a console game by myself on a late Saturday night, my family and I are playing board games and card games around the dining room table. It’s not just me: both live events and board games are on pace for record years in 2026, with each market continuing a multi-year climb to all-time highs. This is the shift we keep coming back to at USV: even though we're still addicted to our algorithms and group chats, people want ways to have fun with their friends in person. There may be no better company that represents what everyone is feeling than Board, the world’s first face-to-face game console. Founded by [Brynn Putnam](https://x.com/BrynnPutnam?lang=en), the founder and former CEO of Mirror (acquired by lululemon), Board combines the feel of real, in-person board games with the magic of video games. It features a beautiful 24-inch screen, and incredible original games that recognize unique, physical game pieces for each game. Since launching in late 2025, Board is now in tens of thousands of homes in all 50 states. But of course, Board is more than just a gaming console. It’s also a platform: games are flying off the Board store’s digital shelf, and accessories and new game pieces will soon follow. Thousands of developers all over the world are already starting to build for Board with the Board SDK. And soon, anyone will be able to build their own games and custom pieces for Board using natural language prompts and AI-powered tools through the Board Studio, the same way millions of people already build and play on Roblox. None of this works without the right founder, and we believe Brynn is the perfect person to build it. Board is essentially the same hardware she built at Mirror: a big, gorgeous, interactive screen that draws you in. Shipping consumer hardware at this level is incredibly hard, and Brynn’s already proven she can do it and win. And she’s added the perfect team to the mix, including some of the most impressive and credentialed gaming, creative, and ops minds in the world. When I first got my hands on my own Board late last year, I couldn’t stop playing, and neither could my kids. It made me picture a whole new generation of people doing the exact same thing my family did with our Nintendo, except this time, around a Board.  But unlike the many other screens in our lives right now, this one will pull us together instead of pushing us apart. --- *Originally published on [Union Square Ventures](https://blog.usv.com/board)*