Investor profile
Market Square Ventures
Micro-fund
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Market Square Ventures is a Knoxville-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage startups in Tennessee, the Southeast, and Appalachia. The firm aims to invest in exceptional founders in a traditionally overlooked region where its capital and connections can make a big impact, writing checks of $100,000–$250,000 into pre-seed and seed-stage tech or tech-enabled companies. The firm was launched in 2024 after its founders successfully advocated for a Tennessee state law change enabling venture capital firms to operate in the state, and it is positioned to fill a capital gap in the Southeast and Appalachian corridor.
Notable quotes
“We aim to invest in the best start-ups in a traditionally overlooked region where we can get in early and where our capital and connections can make a big impact.”
“Our typical investments will range from $100,000 to $250,000 in tech or tech-enabled start-ups at the pre-seed or seed stage.”
“I'm on a bit of a mission.”
Team
Brandon Bruce
General Partner & Co-Founder
John Bruck
General Partner & Co-Founder
Marty Brown
General Partner
Harry Boston
General Partner
Rosa Mar
General Partner
Recent investments
| Company | Round | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| StratusGrid | Seed | — | 2026-02-01 |
| Laborup | Seed | $8m | 2025-08-28 |
| VetVerifi | Seed | $3m | 2025-02-18 |
| Shift Thermal | Seed | — | — |
| Authentrics.AI | Pre-seed | — | 2024-05-01 |
| Trinity Guardion | Seed | — | — |
| Clockout | Seed | — | — |
| Blank Beauty | Series A | — | — |
| AGYL AI | Pre-seed | — | — |
| Daily Crunch | Series A | — | — |
Frequent co-investors
| VC firm | Deals together |
|---|---|
| InvestTN | 2 |
| Las Olas Venture Capital | 1 |
| Roo Capital | 1 |
| Heartland Ventures | 1 |
| Threshold | 1 |
| Digitalis Ventures | 1 |
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