Brickyard

Brickyard Research Document Investment Thesis Brickyard is a unique venture capital firm and founder outpost that combines capital deployment with an immersive, in-person operational support model. Founded in 2021 and based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Brickyard believes that extraordinary founders execute faster when isolated from distractions and provided intensive on-site support. Rather than operating as a traditional accelerator with cohorts and programming, Brickyard operates as a selective venture firm that requires portfolio founders to relocate to their headquarters—a converted 100-year-old Persian rug warehouse called "The Yard"—and work there full-time until achieving $1M in annual revenue or shutdown. The firm's investment thesis centers on identifying "junkyard dog" founders with high agency, non-obvious vision, delusional optimism, and strong execution discipline. They explicitly state that category matters far less than founder quality—they are "curious about almost everything right now" but deeply focused on the founder's character, conviction, and ability to execute under pressure. Operational Model Brickyard's approach is fundamentally different from traditional venture capital. The firm operates a "black site" (their terminology) where all portfolio companies are co-located, creating a unique ecosystem: Immersive Co-Location : All portfolio companies must relocate to Chattanooga and work out of The Yard. This is a forcing function designed to eliminate distractions and create mutual accountability among founders. Partnership-Driven Support : All five Brickyard GPs are founder/operators with exits who are present in the space daily. They explicitly avoid accelerator-style programming and standing meetings, instead providing tactical support on demand and being available 24/7. Founder Carry : Ownership in the GP is vested after 1 year, and every founder has upside in every other company in their active fund, creating financial incentives for mutual referrals and support. Flexible Duration : While the average stay is 18-24 months, there's no binding time commitment—teams stay until they hit their revenue target or decide to shutdown. Investment Fundamentals Check Size : $300K-$500K average, with range of $100K-$500K Pilot Fund era: $250K-$500K Current investment pattern: ~$350K average Selective large checks up to $500K Lead Tendency : Both lead and follow, with nuance Comfortable being the first institutional check and setting caps Lead seed rounds but not priced rounds Can follow to help close rounds Act as bridge investors when needed Stage Focus : Pre-seed and Seed exclusively Pre-seed: Prototype or early-stage teams Seed: Working product with initial traction No Series A or later investments Investment Criteria : Categorical agnosticism with founder-first focus "We're curious about almost everything right now" Portfolio spans diverse sectors: SaaS, marketplaces, consumer, enterprise, fintech, climate, defense, biotech, etc. Decision driver: founder quality over sector Five GP partners review all decisions with in-person final meetings Portfolio Composition & Performance Brickyard has deployed across two primary funds (Pilot Fund and Fund I) with 52 companies as of late 2025. Recent investment pace: ~12 investments per year, reviewed 7,000+ decks annually. Portfolio Breadth : Exceptionally diverse across 25+ sectors E-commerce & Marketplaces: Repowr, Shappi, Goliath Data Enterprise Software & SaaS: Krepling, Allera, Roundtable, Prosal, Scaylor, Talisman Developer Tools & Infrastructure: Brev (acquired by NVIDIA), Coast, Gumption Fintech & Payments: Instafi, Clockout, Plaza Consumer & Marketplace: Camlist, DIY Wrap Club, Sociable Biotech & Industrial: Lux Bio, Carbon Origins, Kunin, Electrokare Food & Agriculture: Cultra, MenuData Infrastructure & Hardware: SpatialGen, Dimension Labs, Memvid AI & Autonomy: Haven, Harmony, Candytrail, &who Defense & Specialized: Askari (autonomous drones) Logistics & Supply Chain: Vamo, CrowdVolt Exit Performance : Brev → Acquired by NVIDIA (2024) Rollfi → Acquired by PRTH Sendspark → Acquired by Xenon Pledge → Acquired by Collectly Multiple current portfolio companies with strong traction Recent Activity (2025) : November 2025: SpatialGen October 2025: Candytrail, Memvid, Vamo September 2025: Dimension Labs Recent investments trending toward AI/infrastructure/specialized verticals Fund showing active deployment with consistent monthly investments Founder Type & Values Brickyard is explicit about the founder profile they seek: high agency founders with non-obvious vision, delusional optimism, junkyard grit, learning machine mentality, and ability to execute with intensity. They seek CEOs who can sell and have extreme ownership mentality. Geographic & Sector Strategy Geographic : US-based primarily, with selective international. Chattanooga is the operational hub (required relocation). Portfolio hails from 25+ US cities plus Canada, UK, UAE, Greece, Australia. Sector Strategy : Pure founder-first approach with no pre-defined sector focus. Portfolio diversity reflects broad investment thesis with increasing focus on infrastructure, AI/autonomy, and specialized verticals based on recent investments. Decision Process & Timeline Diligence Process : Standard diligence: 2-3 weeks typical, sometimes faster Background checks on founders Reference checks and portfolio back-channeling In-person final partner meeting (Brickyard covers travel) All five GPs participate in final decision Term sheet or pass given same day as final meeting No Process Variation : Market terms applied consistently No off-market or standard deal terms No cost to operate from The Yard No founder equity grant for GPs (unusual for US VC) Team & Leadership Brickyard's five General Partners are all founder/operators with exits. The visible partners include Cameron Doody (Co-Founder and GP) and Adam Haney (GP with technical background). All five partners are hands-on, present daily in The Yard, and deeply involved with portfolio companies. Capital Deployment & Fund Status Brickyard has deployed across Pilot Fund and Fund I with active deployment continuing in 2025. Recent investment pace: 10-12 companies per year with $3M-$4M annual deployment. Fund is actively deploying as of late 2025 with monthly investment activity. Why Chattanooga? Brickyard explicitly states that Chattanooga is a feature, not a bug: it's away from VC hubs and industry noise (filters out casual founders), inconvenient for most founders (tests commitment), and part of an emerging tech community. Notably, this is NOT an economic development play or startup hub recruitment effort.