Rise of the Rest: the Thesis Driving Steve Case

Steve Case has spent the past 40 years at the intersection of technology, cities, and innovation. He was one of the leaders of the internet revolution as the founder and chairman of AOL. Since then, he’s dedicated himself to investment in entrepreneurs and innovation as the founder of the venture firm Revolution.

Along the way, Case developed a thesis for investment and economic growth that’s a little different than that of most venture investors: a belief in the emergence of places beyond traditional tech hubs–cities that haven’t traditionally been the focus on venture investment but have tremendous potential.

Through Revolutions’ seed and growth funds, Case and his team have made “The Rise of the Rest” their guiding philosophy. They look for companies where place matters, and they like to invest in “Rise of the Rest” cities that are likely to benefit from increasing innovation and investment int he coming years. He writes all about this in “The Rise of the Rest, a book he published in 2022.

This is a fast-moving conversation that covers a number of topics. Brad and Steve discuss the characteristics of rising cities and which ones get them particularly excited. They talk about innovation districts and their particular importance as talent disperses beyond traditional tech hubs. They discuss why the next wave of startups will all have a policy aspect whether they’re healthtech, fintech, proptech or any other major tech sector. They also go into more detail about what the Revolution team looks for in startups and how they run their investments … and how their unique venture thesis has given rise to a fund dedicated to investing in real estate in rising cities.

With a worldview anchored in place and innovation, Case’s insights and predictions are invaluable to anyone with a stake in venture, real estate, innovation, the future of urban spaces and policy.

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