Please read all of this before applying.
Should you do this for the money?
No. This is a style of building that teams should be naturally drawn to before considering an application. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not. The two questions you should ask are 1) could we grow faster here? and 2) would it be good for my co-founders and I personally/professionally.
Are there any off-market or standard deal terms?
No. All deals are done on individual market terms, and there is no cost to be here if you get in.
What categories do you invest in?
We’re interested in all categories, but hardware / native healthcare are tough for us.
Check Size?
Our avg check is $350k, but will invest as low as $100k and up to $500k for specific scenarios.
Do you lead?
Depends on the round, but yes we can lead or follow. We don’t lead priced rounds, but we’re comfortable being the first check in, setting a cap, and bringing the full weight of our network to help close your round.
Do all co-founders need to relocate together?
Yes. We deeply believe in the importance of co-founders building together in person. You simply go faster when realignment happens naturally every hour.
The whole team?
Early team members are welcome and encouraged, but it’s not required that the entire team move here. Many of our teams have hybrid remote teams.
What do you mean by move?
Move to Chattanooga, work out of Brickyard, and leave everything on the field to reach your revenue/ARR target.
What’s the time commitment?
Although there are no binding terms, it’s a 1 year minimum buy-in. The spirit of the deal is that you’re coming here to get to $1m rev/ARR, program a DNA of intensity, and make high velocity progress towards PMF. On average, teams move out well after $1m, but that is completely up to you. Average stay is 18-24 months.
How do Brickyard Partners engage with teams while we’re here?
All five Brickyard GPs are founder/operators w/ exits and we’re here every day we are in town. We are not an accelerator, so have no programming or standing meetings, but we are here daily and available 24/7. We try to stay out of strategy, and choose to focus on tactical guidance when our founders want it. We don’t babysit. We believe the best founders don’t want or need workshops/programming. Brickyard is about focusing on the only things that matter in the trough— talking to users and customers, shipping, iterating, selling, and talking to customers again.
What does the off-ramp look like?
When a team decides they are ready to leave, Brickyard partners drop what they are doing to facilitate. If a team is kicking off a new fundraise, we make introductions to relevant VCs, alums, and other founders who can help. If you’re moving to another city to be near customers, we will exhaust our customer contact lists. For fallen soldiers, we will dig in to help and make introductions to others relevant to their unique process of winding down.
Do you take international teams?
Yes, but visas must allow for at least 1 year unbroken in the US. VISAs must be completed or near completion before we can consider an application. Immigration/VISAs are a major distraction, and we do not want to make life harder than it already is for you.
If we get into YC while in Brickyard, can we go through their program?
Yes. We invest in many YC teams post demo day to focus entirely on execution, and many of our teams are accepted into YC *after they’ve moved to Brickyard. We are totally supportive of this. We can help with subleasing housing while in the batch, and allow for teams move back for 12-18 months after to execute.
How many teams work in the Yard daily?
+/- 20 teams at a time. We have a revolving door, and most of our teams who have rolled out come back frequently for off-sites / deep work. Once you are a Brickyard team, you have access for life.
Do you have to be in the portfolio (or a guest of a portco) to be in Brickyard?
Yes, it is fully private to our portcos only. We are not open to the public.
Is it open 24/7?
Yes, all members have FOB access to our facilities around the clock.
What’s The Yard like?
Private building with 11 call-boxes, 7 private breakout rooms, large conference room, gym, showers, steam, sauna, ice bath, coffee, snacks/emergency food, 12,000 sq/ft of workspace, pickleball court, and rooftop + pool.
What do you have in the gym?
Squat racks, benches, rings, dumbbells, kettlebells, rowing machine, stair-master, peloton treadmill & bike, pull up bars, box jump, ropes, heavy-bag, speed-bag, sauna, steam room, cold plunge, etc. and a personal trainer to whip us into shape two days a week.
Where do founders live?
Apartments, individual houses or in Brickhouse— our 11 bedroom furnished founder house with a rooftop pool next door that’s move-in ready.
How does the founder carry work?
Ownership in the GP is vested/granted after spending 1 year at Brickyard. Every founder we back has upside in every each other company in the fund.
Why would you do that?
We want our founders to have upside in each other. Us against the world.
Are there cohorts?
No, we invest in new teams on a rolling basis, and prefer they be here within 60-90 days post-investment.
What are the rules?
No rules, just a commitment to put in the work.
Why Chattanooga, TN?
Mainly because it’s away from the noise, but it’s also one of the world’s special places. We built our companies here, and believe it allowed us to outwork our competition in the early days because we only had one thing to focus on.
Does this have anything to do with economic development for Chattanooga?
No. This is only about founders going faster during this specific time of company building. We’re not trying to build up our startup ecosystem and we’re not trying to recruit you to build your headquarters here.
How selective are you?
We took 4,600+ high intent applications last year, and invested in 12. This year, we are tracking to 10,000 deck submissions. We typically invest in 10-12 new companies/yr.
What’s your process like?
Standard venture diligence (usually 2-3 weeks back and forth although sometimes faster), background checks, reference checks, portfolio back-channeling, and an in-person partner meeting where we fly you in & cover costs. This is as much about you getting to experience Brickyard in person and meet all the founders in the space before making any kind of decision, as much as it is a final partner meeting.