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The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream
Steve Case, New York Times bestselling author of The Third Wave and cofounder of America Online shows how entrepreneurs across the country are building groundbreaking companies, renewing communities, and creating new jobs—reimagining the American landscape “and [giving] us hope for America’s future” (Ken Burns).
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.
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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Published September 27, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 4, 2023
This book could have been a blog post. The basic argument, that you can build a successful company almost anywhere has never really been in doubt, so this is kind of a strawman situation to begin with. The argument for the Bay Area, NYC, and Boston was never that they were the only place you could launch a technology driven company, but that the agglomeration effects from the clusters there were worth moving for in most cases. Case doesn't really present any evidence that this is no longer true. There's almost no data presented in the book and nothing that shows an increasing prevalence of technology clusters in other cities (this could very well be true, but you won't find out from reading this book). If you like anecdotes about neat companies doing interesting things, then I guess you'll like Rise of the Rest, but it doesn't have any real purpose beyond marketing Steve Case's bus tour and venture investments.
November 4, 2022
America Online and Revolution co-founder Steve Case of rural Warrenton, VA writes an inspirational work in this latest book, Rise of the Rest. The NYT bestselling author of Third Wave is entrepreneurial to his core and this book exemplifies that spirit magnified across the entire US. As evidenced by helping found AOL (and I admit, I still use an AOL email address!), this time he writes of his catalytic Rise of the Rest bus tour across the US over the last several years in order to jump start the potential of tech start ups where fortune (with venture capital backing) can meet real opportunity. The stories are heartwarming and range from the revitalization of Detroit (Shinola and Quicken Loans are examples); Minneapolis, Tulsa, OK, and the list goes on and on. Culturally, the US is entrepreneurial by nature and the spark Case ignites with his tour delivers promise and motivates imagination in places that needed it to take off. His effort has helped to more evenly distribute VC funding from the 75% that, in the past decade had gone to CA, MA and NY, to the rest of the 47 states. You will be inspired by his travels and stories of those making their American dream come alive!
October 3, 2022
I should start this review with an admission. I made some dough with AOL before Case made his idiotic decision to pursue Time-Warner and the NY swells cleaned his clock. But that situation is an exemplar of Case's style. This book has a couple of points. First, he argues that as a country we need to diversify the places where we develop venture capital. He has a project (Rise of the Rest) where he does bus tours of somewhat forgotten areas for new company development. His conclusion is not exactly revolutionary. Early in the growth of the internet economy there was a lot of writing about "clusters" how getting people together would aid cross pollinating new ideas. And getting lots of centers makes a lot of sense. Case has a venture fund called Revolution which actually does early stage investing.
But come on now, there has been a lot of work on this process. For example, Start Engine seems to raise of a lot of first and second stage venture funding from non-traditional venture investors and seems to have a way to offer the incubator advice and the networking that Case touts.
But then there is the second part of the book. Case reviews a lot of the companies that Revolution has funded and his idea of using the bus tour to offer budding entrepreneurs to compete for $100,000 in funding. All of those are good ideas but I found myself thinking that Case used the book to tout his own investments.
Then, is the final chapter in which he tries to be the prophet. He describes a painting in the National Portrait Gallery of 19th century entrepreneurs. He calls for equity VC - we need to diversify entrepreneurs. Yup, good point but there is plenty of evidence that is happening. He seems to ignore the hobbling effects of tax and regulatory policies which limit the ability of entrepreneurs to thrive.
So at the end I thought the book should have an idea that Chris Anderson first proposed in Free. He suggested that some books might be priced based on whether you have read it. If you read this marketing brochure you might be paid a small amount instead of paying for it. I thought this was an interesting book but I felt the book was both more and less than it could have been.
But come on now, there has been a lot of work on this process. For example, Start Engine seems to raise of a lot of first and second stage venture funding from non-traditional venture investors and seems to have a way to offer the incubator advice and the networking that Case touts.
But then there is the second part of the book. Case reviews a lot of the companies that Revolution has funded and his idea of using the bus tour to offer budding entrepreneurs to compete for $100,000 in funding. All of those are good ideas but I found myself thinking that Case used the book to tout his own investments.
Then, is the final chapter in which he tries to be the prophet. He describes a painting in the National Portrait Gallery of 19th century entrepreneurs. He calls for equity VC - we need to diversify entrepreneurs. Yup, good point but there is plenty of evidence that is happening. He seems to ignore the hobbling effects of tax and regulatory policies which limit the ability of entrepreneurs to thrive.
So at the end I thought the book should have an idea that Chris Anderson first proposed in Free. He suggested that some books might be priced based on whether you have read it. If you read this marketing brochure you might be paid a small amount instead of paying for it. I thought this was an interesting book but I felt the book was both more and less than it could have been.
December 30, 2022
A not very deep treatment of bringing startup culture to the rest of the country. Given the author's experience it's reasonable to expect that he does understand VC investing but all discussion in the book doesn't indicate understanding the difference between highly scalable business plans that are worthy of VC funding and other investments that, while perfectly worthwhile of investment, are not worthy of VC investment. And maybe this type of investment truly does belong in Silicon Valley. Or maybe not, but you'll find any consideration of such a distinction here.
Sadly, many of the interesting startups are only mentioned in passing. Lots of emotional talk about these companies finding problems to solve and solving them, giving back to their communities, and working for social and racial equity, but not much discussion about what the companies actually did to succeed, other than to successfully raise investment when needed. This is presumably the area where the author's expertise and experience could really have shined but instead we get a rah-rah book geared to change peoples' feelings rather than to impart understanding.
Sadly, many of the interesting startups are only mentioned in passing. Lots of emotional talk about these companies finding problems to solve and solving them, giving back to their communities, and working for social and racial equity, but not much discussion about what the companies actually did to succeed, other than to successfully raise investment when needed. This is presumably the area where the author's expertise and experience could really have shined but instead we get a rah-rah book geared to change peoples' feelings rather than to impart understanding.
November 23, 2022
I enjoyed reading about all the entrepreneurs and their attempts to bring their Big Idea into being. The focus is that you can innovate where you are, you don't need to move to Silicon Valley to start your business. The book describes the Rise of the Rest bus tours, how they travelled to 5-6 cities throughout the U.S. each year for a few years until the pandemic shut that down, allowing entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas and possibly win $100K in capital funding. Great idea, and it has helped spur innovation in the cities they visited.
The idea is to also develop those cities to have the infrastructure that supports places like Silicon Valley: support from local universities (to provide talent), access to capital, building local innovator networks, and obtaining support from local/state governments.
While I enjoyed the entrepreneur stories, I felt the book was repetitive (padding out the pages) that made it seem somewhat disorganized. Some may see the book as tooting the author's own horn and be self-serving. But I found it a worthwhile read.
Recommended.
The idea is to also develop those cities to have the infrastructure that supports places like Silicon Valley: support from local universities (to provide talent), access to capital, building local innovator networks, and obtaining support from local/state governments.
While I enjoyed the entrepreneur stories, I felt the book was repetitive (padding out the pages) that made it seem somewhat disorganized. Some may see the book as tooting the author's own horn and be self-serving. But I found it a worthwhile read.
Recommended.
November 20, 2022
A historical narrative of his tour
This book is just a narrative of his tour. He tells the stories of the places he went and the entrepreneurs doing cool things. It serves as a good information source especially if you want to go do business in those places. Within those stories are ideas of what stakeholders in geographies can do to enable entrepreneurs. But the book doesn’t really provide any key takeaways, action items or ideas for people to act on. They are implied not accentuated or defined. The best parts of the books were the tech ecosystem and last few pages 240-250 about what stakeholders can do — though the information was sparse. The book could have been inspirational or a call to action to stakeholders, but I didn’t feel that come through. I think he needs a better developmental editor. But if you just want to read a nice narrative about an amazing tour and program across the USA then this is fine.
This book is just a narrative of his tour. He tells the stories of the places he went and the entrepreneurs doing cool things. It serves as a good information source especially if you want to go do business in those places. Within those stories are ideas of what stakeholders in geographies can do to enable entrepreneurs. But the book doesn’t really provide any key takeaways, action items or ideas for people to act on. They are implied not accentuated or defined. The best parts of the books were the tech ecosystem and last few pages 240-250 about what stakeholders can do — though the information was sparse. The book could have been inspirational or a call to action to stakeholders, but I didn’t feel that come through. I think he needs a better developmental editor. But if you just want to read a nice narrative about an amazing tour and program across the USA then this is fine.
January 8, 2023
I appreciated this book and it's a timely read for a new position I will be taking soon. The most compelling fact in the book is California, Massachusetts and New York account for 75% of venture capital investment for start-ups in the nation. This is remarkable, and those markets are over-saturated, or at the very least, there is an opportunity for additional investment with the hard-working and also innovative entrepreneurs across "fly-over country."
The rest of the book makes a case that there are investment opportunities across other portions of America and with that investment we'll see "the Rise of the Rest." A lot of anecdotal stories, but the book length is appropriate and hopefully creates nation wide interest in investing in other portions of the country.
Received the book personally from Steve Case when he came to Milwaukee in order to talk about the concepts in the book.
The rest of the book makes a case that there are investment opportunities across other portions of America and with that investment we'll see "the Rise of the Rest." A lot of anecdotal stories, but the book length is appropriate and hopefully creates nation wide interest in investing in other portions of the country.
Received the book personally from Steve Case when he came to Milwaukee in order to talk about the concepts in the book.
November 30, 2022
The basic premise of this book is that there exists technical innovation beyond the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and Boston. It records visits of Rise of the Rest visits to cities beyond the coasts where entrepreneurs are locating and establishing startups. It discusses the role these startups can and do play is creating jobs and opportunities for people in the middle of the country. It should give confidence to investors and entrepreneurs who want to stay home and rebuild that middle of the USA. At the very least it makes a reader stop and think of possibilities.
October 15, 2022
Read this as a book end to James Fallows' Our Towns - the regenerated cities Fallows describes are often energized by the support of organizations like Steve Case's Revolution - investors who explore the radical notion that, oh, Tulsa might be a wonderful place to build a thriving tech community. It's an inspiring reminder of how much more creativity, discipline, and entrepreneurial spirit there is in America than we realize when we focus only on the (increasingly sclerotic) coasts.
November 13, 2022
I strongly support the rise of the rest idea and movement. For that reason i was elated when I saw this book available for pre-order. That said, the book was a bit underwhelming and somewhat poorly written, especially when compared to Steve’s first book. There is a lot of great information, but it’s organization is lacking and hard to follow at times. Regardless, read the book and apply the principles.
December 7, 2022
I think The Rise would be a really good primer for a budding entrepreneur. That Case understands that without entrepreneurs, especially disruptors, our national economy would seize up and likely wither, is on target. For would be investors wondering how to dive into the innovation engine, the book is filled with examples and how to's. A nice book.
December 25, 2022
7/10: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book; it was interesting to see the personalities of each cities show through by the different start up companies that they produced; overall I learned a lot!
June 22, 2023
Good stories on the stops Steve Case's team makes across the US building entrepreneurial spirit. There are a few tips for readers, particularly connections for those locations. It's nice to see people investing in the middle of the country for small business.
September 24, 2023
Excellent book filled with lots of examples of how founders, startups and communities across the country are growing businesses and participating in entrepreneurship and the American Dream. A must read for anyone involved in growing businesses and city and regional development.
December 10, 2023
A pleasant read. It's the tech/entrepreneurship version of "bloom where you are planted." People are starting tech businesses all over the US, not just the hubs. I liked all the little stories. There was a small section at the end on the initial impacts of the pandemic. I'd like to learn more about that part.
December 2, 2022
Motivational set of case studies and associated analyses to encourage a more open-minded approach to entrepreneurship. Fun read, but more interpretation than depth of analysis.
August 16, 2023
This book lit an entrepreneurial flame in me.
November 6, 2022
Steve Case to the Entrepreneurs Rescue, Across America!
Rise of the Rest focuses on the startup communities and ecosystems that are outside the regular locales. There is a vibrant startup community outside of SF, NYC, and Boston. Steve Case who founded AOL, now leads Revolution Capital, has inspired, funded, and advised these startups.
Rise of the Rest focuses on the startup communities and ecosystems that are outside the regular locales. There is a vibrant startup community outside of SF, NYC, and Boston. Steve Case who founded AOL, now leads Revolution Capital, has inspired, funded, and advised these startups.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews