Brickyard

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.

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

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

• Venture capital investing
• Founder residency program
• Pre-seed investment
• Startup accelerator
• Early-stage funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core 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

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Brickyard ConnectionminorOthers · 1 May 2026Brickyard 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 VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Urban 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, LLCminorOthers · 1 February 2026A 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 FounderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Bellhops 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

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/justlaybrick

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments30 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brickyard