Connector and Risk-taker: Meet Brandon Bruce, co-founder of Startup Knox and Cirrus Insight
Brandon Bruce’s fascination with entrepreneurship began in high school. His journey has taken him through being an entrepreneur himself, to now acting as a community and ecosystem builder for the next generation.
For Brandon, entrepreneurship is an opportunity to do a little bit of everything all the time — and he does. In 2011, he co-founded Cirrus Insight, an all-in-one sales productivity platform with world-class Salesforce integration. That startup grew to become one of the top-selling apps in the Salesforce marketplace, employing over 60 people in Knoxville and California, and eventually being sold to a private equity firm in Texas.
While he was growing Cirrus, Brandon also began to focus on building community, an effort that has only accelerated since his successful exit from the company several years ago. Brandon is a member of the Innov865 Alliance, the chair of the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center Board, the founder of the Knoxville Technology Council, and the co-founder of Startup Knox. That latest initiative is a way to help startups connect with resources, investors, and organizations and build a stronger ecosystem. “This is a place where we start things, and the community supports it.” Brandon is also helping drive the 100Knoxville initiative, whose goal is to help Black-owned businesses in Knoxville grow by $10,000,000 in 5 years.
“Made for Knoxville” shines the light on the big wins, everyday hustles, and ongoing challenges of our diverse entrepreneurial community — ranging from “solo-preneurs,” makers, growth stage tech companies, investors, and established institutions. Let the world know what YOU’RE made for at madeforknoxville.com and make sure to tag #madeforknox on social.
