Brickyard
Brickyard is a private venture capital firm and founder residency program in Chattanooga, TN that invests $250k–$1M (average $700k) in 10–12 pre-seed/seed startups annually, providing capital, workspace, and mentorship from five operator-GPs to founders willing to relocate and build to $1–3M ARR.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersChattanooga, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Brickyard does
Brickyard is a private venture capital firm and founder residency program founded in 2021 and headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The firm operates a non-programmatic, cohort-free investment model, writing pre-seed and seed checks averaging $700,000 (range $250k–$1M) into early-stage startups. Core offerings include capital investment, access to a private 12,000 sq/ft workspace called "the Yard" (a 100-year-old Persian rug warehouse with 24/7 FOB access), furnished founder housing through a subsidiary called Brickhouse, and daily mentorship from five General Partners who are founder-operators with prior exits. Founders must relocate to Chattanooga and work a 9-9-7 schedule until reaching self-selected revenue targets of $1–3M ARR.
The firm reviews over 10,000 decks annually and invests in 10–12 new companies per year, maintaining high selectivity. The operational model is distinctive: there are no formal program cohorts, demo days, or fixed terms. Instead, teams build simultaneously in the shared facility for an average of 18–24 months, and after one year each portfolio founder receives ownership in the GP and upside in every other company in the active fund, creating strong referral and co-investment incentives. Brickyard has deployed capital across Pilot Fund, Fund I, and Fund II, totaling approximately 57 portfolio companies spanning fintech, AI, e-commerce, logistics, healthcare, defense technology, and creative industries. Notable exits include Brev (acquired by NVIDIA), Rollfi (PRTH), Sendspark (Xenon), and Pledge (Collectly).
Revenue is generated through carried interest on portfolio exits and, implicitly, management fees on fund operations. The geographic positioning in Chattanooga serves as a deliberate filter for committed founders, while the deal sourcing mechanism relies almost entirely on founder-to-founder referrals and network effects rather than outbound marketing.
Brickyard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brickyard
- Legal name
- Brickyard
- Website
- https://justlaybrick.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Brickyard is a private venture capital firm and founder residency program in Chattanooga, TN that invests $250k–$1M (average $700k) in 10–12 pre-seed/seed startups annually, providing capital, workspace, and mentorship from five operator-GPs to founders willing to relocate and build to $1–3M ARR.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brickyard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Startup Accelerator
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where Brickyard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chattanooga
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Brickyard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Investment Returns / Carry: Brickyard generates returns through equity ownership in portfolio companies. They write checks of $500-800k (average $700k, range $250k-$1m) for equity in early-stage startups. Revenue comes from carried interest when portfolio companies achieve exits through acquisitions or other liquidity events.
- GP Ownership Stakes: Founders in the portfolio gain ownership stakes in the GP after one year, creating aligned incentives and monetary incentive for referring high-quality founders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pre-seed / Seed Investment |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Brickyard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brickyard is a private founder residency and pre-seed/seed venture capital firm that backs early-stage startup founders with checks of $250k-$1m (avg $700k). Selected founders relocate to Chattanooga to work full-time from a 12,000 sq/ft private facility called "the Yard" with furnished housing ("Brickhouse"), receiving daily tactical mentorship from five founder-operator General Partners until reaching $1-3M ARR.
Product overview
Brickyard is a startup accelerator and venture capital firm based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that operates as a non-programmatic, cohort-free investment model. Rather than offering a traditional technology product platform, Brickyard's core offering consists of investment capital (typically $500-$800k checks), a private 12,000 sq/ft co-working facility called The Yard, furnished founder housing (Brickhouse), mentorship from five operator-partners with exit experience, and access to a network of portfolio company founders. Portfolio companies relocate to Chattanooga to work full-time (described as 9-9-7 schedule) until reaching self-selected revenue targets of $1-3m in annual recurring revenue. Brickyard has invested in approximately 56 companies across two funds (Pilot Fund and Fund I/II), spanning sectors including fintech, AI, e-commerce, logistics, healthcare technology, and defense technology. The firm does not offer a software-as-a-service product, API, or developer platform—the accelerator program itself represents the primary service offering, alongside the physical workspace and community infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Founder Residency Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Teams stay 18-24 months on average, with no binding time obligation
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Brickyard
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Brickyard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Brickyard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Brickyard ConnectionminorBrickyard Connection is a partner in electric flight demonstrations alongside Signature Aviation, BETA Technologies, and Republic Airways. This appears to be a different entity named Brickyard Connection (separate from the startup residency). Not a strategic partnership with Brickyard startup residency.
- Urban Story VenturesminorUrban Story Ventures owns a decommissioned perfume factory in Chattanooga used as a filming location for 'Dolly.' They have submitted proposals to transform the old Hamilton County Jail into Jailhouse Studios, a movie and music studio. They are part of the creative ecosystem supporting Brickyard's local portfolio investments.
- Brickyard Trucking, LLCminorA Louisiana-based trucking company (Brickyard Trucking, LLC) that received a permit to drill commercial injection wells. This appears to be a different entity named Brickyard, not related to the startup residency company. Not a strategic partnership.
- Bellhops FounderscoreBellhops founders provide mentorship and guidance to Vamo Delivery, a portfolio company that relocated from Utah to Chattanooga to scale inside the Brickyard founder residency program. The Bellhops connection provides Vamo with supply chain hub leverage and operational mentorship.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Brickyard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brickyard social profiles
Digital presenceBrickyard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brickyard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Brickyard subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Brickyard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brickyard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments30 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Brickyard
What does Brickyard do?
Brickyard is a private founder residency and pre-seed/seed venture capital firm that backs early-stage startup founders with checks of $250k-$1m (avg $700k). Selected founders relocate to Chattanooga to work full-time from a 12,000 sq/ft private facility called "the Yard" with furnished housing ("Brickhouse"), receiving daily tactical mentorship from five founder-operator General Partners until reaching $1-3M ARR.
Is Brickyard a public or private company?
Brickyard is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Brickyard founded?
Brickyard was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Brickyard based?
Brickyard is headquartered in Chattanooga, United States, in the North America region.
How does Brickyard make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Investment Returns / Carry is the primary driver. The others are GP Ownership Stakes.
Does Brickyard have an API?
No public API is recorded for Brickyard.
What industry is Brickyard in?
Brickyard's product category is Venture Capital / Startup Accelerator. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated).