Startup Trend: Founders Bet on Offline Gatherings

At a time when digital screens dominate daily life, a small but growing group of entrepreneurs is swimming against the current. Rather than launching yet another software app or social platform, these founders are pouring capital into physical spaces designed to get people interacting face-to-face in the same room.

This shift is exemplified by Putnam's company Board, which makes a 24-inch touchscreen table built explicitly for groups playing together, alongside Walker's leathercraft school. Though a game console and a traditional craft school appear worlds apart, both share the conviction that technology has eroded genuine human connection over the past couple of decades.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

The timing is strategic. In June of last year, the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Connection classified loneliness as a global health challenge, estimating that one in six people worldwide are affected, linking it to roughly 870,000 deaths annually. Meanwhile, a Harris Poll survey found that two-thirds of Americans prioritize experiences like travel over material purchases.

Audrey Gelman, former founder of The Wing who faced setbacks during the pandemic, has returned with a new concept: The Six Bells Countryside Inn, an 11-room guesthouse in the Hudson Valley. The inn hosts monthly murder-mystery dinners where actors seed the crowd, creating an environment where strangers routinely linger past midnight trading phone numbers.