In the years since Steve Case wrote the 2016 bestseller The Third Wave, which describes how rapidly changing technology will transform a variety of sectors, his Rise of the Rest Seed Fund has built a portfolio of startups that are doing just that–outside of Silicon Valley.

In September came Case’s latest, The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places Are Building the New American Dream, which tells the stories of founders across the country who are revitalizing their communities with new ideas and new businesses.

“It paints an optimistic view of the future of America because of how much is happening in different places,” Case says. “If you want to move to Silicon Valley, go for it, but if you feel like you need to move to Silicon Valley, that is no longer the case.”

Among the dozens of startups profiled in Rise of the Rest is the agtech company AppHarvest, which built one of the world’s largest indoor farms in eastern Kentucky and now grows up to 30 times more food with up to 90 percent less water than traditional farms. The company raised $500 million by going public in 2021 and has created 500 jobs in coal country.

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“A lot of people there thought there was no hope,” Case says. “Well, there is hope, and it’s because an entrepreneur started a company and we found them, backed them, and helped them scale up.”

Since launching the Rise of the Rest Road Trip in 2014, Case has visited emerging startup ecosystems in 43 U.S. cities.

“Every time we’ve been on a Rise of the Rest bus going to any city and invited people with some connection to that city to join us, they’re always surprised by how much is happening there,” Case says. “Hopefully, the book creates a catalyst for people to rethink where they live and for investors to rethink where they invest.”

From the October 2022 issue of Inc. Magazine

Graham Winfrey

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