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The Rise of the Rest
How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream
by Steve Case
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
In 2014, Steve Case launched Revolution's Rise of the Rest, an initiative to accelerate the growth of tech startups across the country. Rise of the Rest is based on a simple idea: cities can be renewed and rise again if they develop a vibrant startup culture. A visionary entrepreneur himself, Case believes that great entrepreneurs can be found anywhere, and can thrive with the proper support and investment. In fact, they're key to the American DNA. After all, America itself was a startup. It struggled to get going and almost didn't make it. Today it's the leader of the free world, in part because it has the world's largest economy—a testament to several generations of pioneering entrepreneurs. But America needs help keeping its promises, as it is harder today for innovators who live outside the major tech hubs. For most of the past decade, seventy-five percent of venture capital has gone to just three states—California, New York, and Massachusetts—while the forty-seven states making up the rest of the country have been forced to share the remaining twenty-five percent. And it's even harder for some people no matter where they live. Less than ten percent of venture capital currently goes to female founders, and less than one percent to Black founders. Since new companies—startups—are responsible for net new job creation, it is essential that entrepreneurs everywhere have the opportunity to start and scale companies. Rise of the Rest is about leveling the playing field for everybody, and in the process creating opportunity and jobs for the people and places that have been left behind. This book tells that story and provides a hopeful perspective on the future of America.
In The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream, Case takes readers on an exhilarating journey into the startup communities that are transforming cities nationwide. Rise of the Rest's signature road trips, on a big red tour bus, have created significant local and national buzz and spotlighted communities large and small that have committed to a new tech-enabled future. Along the way, Case introduces readers to dozens of entrepreneurs whose inspirational stories of struggle and achievement match the most iconic examples of American invention.
To date, Case has traveled to forty-three cities on his Rise of the Rest bus tour and has been featured on 60 Minutes, and in The New York Times, USA TODAY, Fast Company, and The Wall Street Journal. With dedicated venture funds, backed by an iconic group of investors, executives, and entrepreneurs including Jeff Bezos, Eric Schmidt, Meg Whitman, John Doerr, Sara Blakely, and Ray Dalio, Rise of the Rest also invests in the most promising high-growth startups located anywhere in the US outside of Silicon Valley, New York City, and Boston. The fund has invested in more than 175 companies across more than eighty cities, including: Phoenix, Chattanooga, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Louisville, Baltimore, Columbus, St. Louis, Green Bay, Madison, Buffalo, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Miami, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and dozens of others.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 27, 2022 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781982191863
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781982191863
- File size: 3293 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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June 27, 2022
AOL cofounder Case (The Third Wave) recounts his efforts to seed start-up capital and culture outside of traditional tech hubs in this flimsy outing. In 2014, Case founded Rise of the Rest, an initiative that sent tour buses across the U.S. to support entrepreneurs and “lift the prospects of... those who live and work outside the coastal tech centers.” By building businesses in middle America, he writes, cities can be revitalized and the country can be reunited: “part of the reason our country is so divided right now is that many people feel left behind in the new economy.” Case takes readers on a trip through his successes in Detroit (with the professional service review site Stik.com), Indianapolis (where he invested in 120Water, which makes at-home water testing kits ), and Madison, Wis. (where a public official tells him “the Rise of the Rest vision is coming into being—you can do it anywhere”). Case is chipper in arguing that “everyone an equal chance to create and thrive—no matter where they live,” but the parade of success stories ends up feeling like an ad for his organization. This one doesn’t quite come together. -
July 1, 2022
An iconic entrepreneur shows how a new generation of American business leaders is taking shape in the vibrant cities of the heartland. Case, author of The Third Wave, co-founded America Online and the investment firm Revolution LLC. In 2017, he set up an initiative called Rise of the Rest with the aim of revitalizing fading cities by developing an innovative startup culture. Because 75% of the country's venture capital goes to California, New York, and Massachusetts, entrepreneurs elsewhere often find it difficult to obtain seed funds. Case's initiative was armed with a bucket of funds contributed by investors such as Jeff Bezos and Ray Dalio, and the climax of each stop on their nationwide bus tour was a pitch competition with a $100,000 investment prize. In addition to the cash prize, Case's group provided important advice and contacts. From the beginning, Case wanted to focus on Black and women entrepreneurs, who often find the startup road particularly challenging. The author delivers an abundance of stories about companies with significant potential and vision, but their chances of success increase dramatically if they have a supporting ecosystem of talented people and infrastructure. City and state governments can help to provide this structure, and where they have, there is often a sense of renewal. The pandemic was a setback, but there was a silver lining: Many ambitious people left their jobs in San Francisco, New York, or Boston to return to their home cities, leading to revivals in places like Omaha, Chattanooga, and Green Bay. The shift toward remote work was also a positive for many emerging businesses. In fact, it seems that the pandemic provided a boost to the startup community nationwide, with 5.4 million new business applications filed in 2021. Case also emphasizes the importance of follow-through on the Rise initiative, and he established a system for ongoing contact and monitoring. Inspiring stories from unexpected places showing that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and kicking.COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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