The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream

By Steve Case

Avid Reader Press, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster September 27, 2022

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--America Online co-founder and New York Times bestselling author Steve Case’s new book The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream will be published this fall by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Case, who also co-founded Revolution--an investment firm that has backed more than 200 startups--has become a champion of innovators across the country who are building groundbreaking companies, renewing communities, and creating new jobs.

In 2014, Steve Case launched Revolution’s "Rise of the Rest," an initiative to accelerate the growth of startups based outside of Silicon Valley. Rise of the Rest is based on a simple idea: talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. Today, around 75% of all venture capital in the U.S. goes to just three states: New York, Massachusetts, and California. A visionary founder himself, Case believes that great entrepreneurs and ideas can thrive with the proper support and investment. Because the tech sector has concentrated in so few areas, the economic benefits of technology growth have not accrued to enough places in the U.S. Today, the U.S economy is the largest in the world, a testament to several generations of pioneering entrepreneurs. America’s continued leadership will depend on our ability to level the playing field for the next generation of entrepreneurs so that more people, in more places can share in the innovation economy.

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. The Rise of the Rest’s signature bus tours have reached 40+ cities and logged 11,000+ miles spotlighting 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. Whether it’s indoor farming in coal country, freight logistics in Chattanooga, or Styrofoam alternatives in Richmond, VA, these founders are leveraging regional strengths and betting on the future of innovation outside of the coastal tech hubs.

Steve Case is one of America’s best-known and most accomplished entrepreneurs, and a pioneer in making the internet part of everyday life. He co-founded America Online in 1985, when just 3 percent of people were online for an average of just 1 hour a week. He saw the possibilities of the digital future and built AOL into the largest and most valuable internet company in the 1990s (and the first internet company to go public). Case's passion for helping entrepreneurs remains his driving force. He was the founding chair of the Startup America Partnership—an effort launched at the White House in 2011 to accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship in every region of the country. Case also was the founding co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and a member of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, where he chaired the subcommittee on entrepreneurship. He was active in passing the bipartisan JOBS Act in 2012, which made it easier for startups to raise capital. His engagement on policy led Politico to name him “Washington’s tech whisperer” in 2017.

The Rise of the Rest
How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream
By Steve Case
Publisher: Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster (September 27, 2022)
Length: 272 pages
ISBN13: 9781982191849
HC, $28.00