AOL Co-Founder Plans to Spotlight Lincoln’s Startup Community
Lincoln’s tech startup scene is in the national spotlight once again. Steve Case, co-founder of AOL, says he will bring his Rise of the Rest Startup Tour to Lincoln in October. Since the tour’s inception in 2014, Case has invested more than $2 million in 20 startups in cities across the U.S. while travelling 4,000 miles via bus. Eighty cities were nominated in all, with five Western regions selected for this next tour. Lincoln joins Salt Lake/Provo, Albuquerque and Phoenix as tour sites–all were chosen because Case believes they are leading the charge in a new era of technological revitalization.
In addition to introducing our startup community to a national audience, the tour stop also comes with a chance at landing an investment from Case’s investment firm, Revolution. Startups in each city can submit applications for a pitch competition during the tour stop. The winners will receive a $100,000 dollar investment from the tech icon.
I simply can’t say enough about the incredible explosion of growth and viability in the entrepreneurial scene in Lincoln. Five years ago, our community was in its infancy when it came to creating a positive culture that nurtured the concept of startup businesses. Today, the majority of job growth and investment comes in the form of startups and small businesses related to technology.
Lincoln’s growth hasn’t gone unnoticed by members of the media or populations on the coasts; our community has been featured in United Airlines in-flight magazine, a CBS News special report, and articles in publications like Forbes and Bloomberg news. Locally, Lincoln’s Startup Week has help enliven the community’s awareness of what’s going on behind the startup revolution occurring in the Haymarket, West Haymarket, and Nebraska Innovation Campus. Silicon Prairie News has even gone so far as to call Lincoln “something of a post-college paradise”. That’s big news for a city who has long strived to combat the outflow of talent from our high schools and universities.
If you or someone you know is interested in submitting an application for the pitch competition or if you just want to find out more about this incredible opportunity for Lincoln, you can visit the Rise of the Rest website, simply type Rise of the Rest into your web browser. I can’t wait to see who will rise to the occasion and garner an investment from one of America’s tech pioneers.
The Chamber’s mission is to improve the lives of Lincoln residents by providing increased economic opportunity and can only be accomplished together. For more information on the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, (www.lcoc.com) please contact Jaime Henning at jaimehenning@lcoc.com.