The ‘together tech’ wave might be the most intriguing startup bet of 2026
Some startups are betting against screen-first AI by building tech for in-person connection.
TechCrunch frames “together tech” as a countercurrent to record-breaking AI fundraising. Examples include Mirror founder Brynn Putnam’s Board, focused on in-person games and social experiences, and viral Cyberdeck creators making playful DIY computers. The piece argues this does not read as simple AI backlash, but as a potentially interesting startup direction for 2026.
This TechCrunch AI article places its focus on a counter-trend in entrepreneurship that runs alongside the AI boom. The article notes that while the AI fundraising machine keeps breaking its own records, some founders are building products in the opposite direction: instead of keeping users more deeply immersed in screens, browsers, or automated workflows, they use technology to bring people back to the real world, to face-to-face interaction and shared experiences.
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