Why the Future of Video Games is Moving Back to the Dinner Table

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Today's show:

Jason sits down with Brynn Putnam, CEO and founder of Board, to learn more about her company's tabletop gaming console. The pair talks about how to raise capital for yet-to-launch hardware projects, the screen-time debate, and how Board is approaching building or buying IP for its family-friendly games. Next, Alex got Heremus's AJ Piplica on the horn to chat hypersonic, autonomous jets. The startup's technology bridges the gap between rockets and airplanes, and may represent the future of warfare, yes, but also fast freight!

Guest Links:

Brynn Putnam x.com/BrynnPutnam
Board board.fun
Board Series A announcement techcrunch.com/2026/06/02/board-the-new-game-s…
Mirror lululemonstudio.com
AJ Piplica x.com/AJ_Piplica
Heremus hermeus.com
Heremus Series C announcement prnewswire.com/news-releases/hermeus-reaches-1…

Timestamps:

0:00 Board's Brynn Putnam joins the show
2:54 Board's proprietary AI software stack
6:43 Why Board manufactures in Mexico (not China)
9:21 LinkedIn: Thanks to our partners at LinkedIn! Post your job for free at linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs' new AI assistant.
9:42 How to raise a Seed round for hardware without a finished product
15:26 Brynn's daughter and the mermaid example
17:09 Can Board limit screen time fears?
18:47 Northwest Registered Agent: Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at northwestregisteredagent.com/twist
22:54 Selling the first 10,000 units
28:38 Deel - Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, get visas handled fast, and get back to building. Visit deel.com/twist to learn more.
29:42 Why Board is steering away from simple ports toward native IP experiences
35:32 Hermeus's AJ Piplica joins the show
35:32 What is Dark Horse?
43:48 Commercial applications: Cargo, organs, flowers, and trans-Atlantic in 90 minutes
47:47 Commercial applications: Cargo, organs, flowers, and trans-Atlantic in 90 minutes
57:00 Dark Horse range and the "reusable first stage" analogy
58:42 Dark Horse range and the "reusable first stage" analogy
1:02:42 $350M Series C led by Khosla; total funding now exceeds $500M
1:03:39 The SpaceX model: get customers to fund your R&D
1:07:47 Closing: the American Dynamism pitch

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