Mirror
Acquired3 known investors
Mirror is a connected-fitness company whose wall-mounted smart mirror streams home workouts; acquired by Lululemon for $500M.
Also known as MIRROR · Mirror by Lululemon
Investors · 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Mirror is a connected fitness company founded by Brynn Putnam that sells a wall-mounted, reflective display device for streaming workout classes at home. The product was described as a "nearly invisible" smart, internet-connected mirror that lets users follow streamed fitness classes while simultaneously watching their own form. The device was priced at $1,495 for the hardware plus a $39 monthly subscription for access to the class content.
The concept originated from Putnam's experience as a professional ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet and later as the creator of the Refine Method high-intensity interval training studios in New York City, launched in 2010. Surveying Refine Method members, Putnam concluded that the visual feedback of watching oneself exercise drove greater effort, and that a mirror could serve as the delivery vehicle for at-home instruction that replicated studio elements such as workout boards, timing, and real-time modifications. An initial prototype was built by Putnam's husband, an engineer, using a one-way mirror, an Amazon tablet, and a Raspberry Pi.
Mirror was unveiled at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2018 and the product launched that year. Lululemon acquired the company for $500 million in cash, with Putnam remaining as CEO. Putnam has since left to found a new, stealth-mode consumer gaming hardware startup, which she planned to unveil at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.
Founding story
Putnam conceived Mirror in 2016 while newly pregnant and experiencing morning sickness, which made traveling to boutique fitness studios impractical. Having spent her career in front of mirrors as a ballet dancer and having run the Refine Method studios, she sought to translate the studio experience into the home. Her husband, an engineer, built the first prototype from a one-way mirror, an Amazon tablet, and a Raspberry Pi. Putnam pitched investors while nine months pregnant as a solo, non-technical female founder; some investors and entrepreneurs advised her to add a male technical co-founder or delay fundraising until after the pregnancy, advice she declined. She signed her first seed round from the hospital on the day her son was born and returned to work within two weeks.
Business model
Mirror sells a connected fitness hardware device and pairs it with a recurring content subscription: $1,495 for the equipment plus $39 per month for access to streamed classes.
Hardware sales ($1,495 per unit) combined with a monthly content subscription ($39/month).
Traction
In its second year of business, Mirror reported $150 million in revenue with 125 employees. It was acquired by Lululemon for $500 million in cash.
Latest developments
In September 2025, TechCrunch reported that founder Brynn Putnam would unveil a new, separate stealth-mode consumer gaming hardware startup at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco (October 27-29, Moscone Center). Lerer Hippeau, which led Mirror's $3 million seed round, participated in a competitive funding round for the new company.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned as an alternative to bulky home fitness equipment and to unstructured workout video content, offering studio-style classes in a compact form factor. Coverage characterizes Mirror as one of the more prominent recent consumer hardware successes, having launched shortly before pandemic-driven demand for home fitness.
The device's reflective surface lets users see themselves alongside streamed instruction, creating a feedback loop the founder identified as motivating; its slim, near-invisible form avoids the footprint of bikes or treadmills.
Technology
A wall-mounted, largely invisible smart mirror that streams live and on-demand fitness classes while reflecting the user, providing visual self-feedback during workouts. The original prototype combined a one-way mirror, an Amazon tablet, and a Raspberry Pi; funding was used to build a production-ready system spanning hardware, software, and content.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer hardware plus subscription; public unveiling at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018 provided early visibility.
Consumers who want studio-quality instruction at home, including boutique fitness participants for whom traveling to a studio is inconvenient and users with limited space for large equipment such as bikes or treadmills.
Geography
Origins and founder's prior fitness studios are in New York City; no further geographic detail is stated in the sources.
History
Concept work began in 2016; the first seed funding closed the day Putnam's son was born and was used to design and develop a functioning prototype with hardware, software, and content that could move to mass production. Mirror launched in 2018, the same year it was unveiled at TechCrunch Disrupt. By 2019 the company had raised a total of $72 million in outside investment. In its second year of business it generated $150 million in revenue with a team of 125. Lululemon acquired Mirror for $500 million, and Putnam stayed on as CEO. Sources describe the acquisition as occurring two years after the 2018 Disrupt debut; one CNBC account references both June and September in connection with the Lululemon purchase.
Risks & controversies
Sources note investor skepticism during fundraising toward a solo, non-technical, pregnant female founder, with suggestions that she add a male technical co-founder or postpone raising capital.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsTechCrunch reported that Mirror founder Brynn Putnam would debut a new, stealth-mode consumer gaming hardware company at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025; Lerer Hippeau, an investor in Mirror's seed round, joined a competitive round for the new venture.
Lululemon bought Mirror for $500 million in cash, roughly two years after the company's Disrupt debut; founder Brynn Putnam stayed on as CEO.
$500M source ↗
Two years after closing its first fundraising round, Mirror launched its connected fitness device, unveiling it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- The Mirror Mirror Co.themirrormirror.co · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Mirror do?
- Mirror is a connected-fitness company whose wall-mounted smart mirror streams home workouts; acquired by Lululemon for $500M.
- Who are Mirror's investors?
- Mirror's investors include Point72 Ventures, Primary Venture Partners, Spark Capital.