Co-founder of AOL, Steve Case, is brining his bus and investment team to Denver in search of a winning startup to receive a $100,000 investment from "the man who helped shape America's first view of the internet."
Steve Case and Revolution Growth have launched a new kind of bus tour: Rise of the Rest. The tour wants to give entrepreneurs all over the country a chance at the American dream. Steve Case and his team noticed that although startups were growing and increasing all over the country, only a few cities were getting the attention. Last year, 75% of venture capital went to just 3 states: California, New York, and Massachusetts.
Rise of the Rest aims to change that by working closely with entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems.
In an interview with the Denver Post, Steve Case shared why Denver was chosen as a stop on his next tour:
Denver is emerging as a great startup city, and I think people in Denver sense that. But most people around the country don't know that. We're hoping with Rise of the Rest, to a large extent, to tell that story nationally and attract more attention to Denver.
The fifth Rise of the Rest tour will begin in Nebraska on October 3rd, and be in Denver on the 4th with Utah, New Mexico and Arizona to follow.
In each city, the tour puts on a pitch competition showcasing the best startups in each city and the winner takes a $100,000 investment from Steve Case to grow their company (apply here for the pitch competition). After the competition the team will be visiting the fastest growing local startups, talk to local innovators, spend time with local policy and business leaders, and host a party to celebrate the city's startup community.
In 2.5 years Rise of the Rest has traveled 4,000 miles to 19 cities and invested $2M in local startups. Who knows? Your startup could be next. Code can't wait to see the best Denver startups recognized. Apply here to pitch your startup to AOL co-founder, Steve Case.