Steve Case is heading back on the road for the third "Rise of the Rest" tour, this time heading south to invest $500,000 in startups based in cities less well known for their tech startup scene.
The new tour will run from May 4 to May 8 and take in Richmond, Va. Raleigh-Durham, NC, Charleston SC, Atlanta and New Orleans. The last two tours hit up parts of the Midwest, so it makes sense that the latest version would aim to go to a whole new region of the country.
"The Rise of the Rest bus tour is heading south to some of Americaąs oldest cities where entrepreneurs are creating some of the newest businesses, innovations, and jobs," Case said in a statement. "I look forward to celebrating the promise of these rising communities, making investments in local startups, and shining a light on the importance of entrepreneurship in the American south and across the nation."
Case and Revolution are teaming up with UP Global and Google for Entrepreneurs again for the new tour. In each city, the bus travelers will head to local incubators and startup hangouts for events with Case, other investors and local leaders to talk about startup investment and host a pitch competition. Winning companies will get $100,000 in investment, with the possibility of more to come.
"It really puts the spotlight on place that don't always get a lot of coverage for their startups," said David Hall, a director at Revolution. "That really adds a lot of value to the tour."
Hall explained how there's a lot that the tour can bring to the startup communities of the cities it visits, helping plenty of companies gain the attention and traction they might otherwise struggle a lot more with. And it's good business sense for Revolution too.
"The tour helps put Revolution on the map as an investor, not necessarily a [Silicon] Valley investor," he said. "we develop and maintain the relationships that can be our next investment.
Check out Case explaining his thoughts on the new tour in the video below.
