Bestselling Author—Dubbed the “Voice of the Rust Belt”— to Help Accelerate Flow of Venture Capital to Cities Left Behind
Washington, D.C. – March 22, 2017 — J.D. Vance, an experienced Silicon Valley tech investor and the bestselling author of Hillbilly Elegy, has joined Revolution LLC as a Partner, where he will work to expand the firm’s Rise of the Rest initiative, which shines a spotlight on startup ecosystems located outside of Silicon Valley, New York City, and Boston. Vance’s focus will include identifying and investing in startups, and exploring ways to get more institutional capital to invest in entrepreneurs in these rising cities.
“Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not,” said Steve Case, founder of Revolution and the Rise Of The Rest initiative. “Last year, nearly 80% of venture capital went to just three states: New York, Massachusetts and California, leaving the other 47 states to fight over what is left,” said Case. “J.D. Vance has become a leading voice for people across the country who feel left behind, so he is the perfect person to help us expand Rise Of The Rest.”
Vance’s book highlights the soaring social costs of regions hit hard by joblessness and has already sold nearly 1 million copies since its release last June. He will now play a pivotal role in accelerating the awareness and impact of Rise of the Rest. Vance’s efforts will include sourcing and vetting seed stage investment opportunities for Rise of the Rest, and educating investors about the opportunities that exist in these up-and-coming startup cities. He recently relocated to his home state of Ohio, and will now split his time between his home in Ohio, Revolution’s headquarters in Washington D.C., and traveling the country to speak in support of his book.
“Startups are the major job creators, so backing entrepreneurs in rising cities can be a source of hope and opportunity in places that need it most,” said Vance. “I’ve watched with admiration as Steve has led the way in promoting regional entrepreneurship, and I’m honored to now be joining Revolution as a partner to help take the Rise of the Rest to the next level.”
He joins Revolution effective March 27, and will be the keynote speaker at the first-ever Rise Of The Rest Summit, an opportunity for founders, investors, university leaders and elected officials from rising cities to share best practices for building supportive startup ecosystems. The Summit will be held in Washington D.C. on March 30-31.
Vance will remain engaged at Mithril Capital Management, the San Francisco venture capital fund co-founded by Peter Thiel and Ajay Royan. He started his career as a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP and ran a neuroscience-focused biotechnology company before joining Mithril. He earned his BA from The Ohio State University and his JD from Yale Law School.
About Rise Of The Rest
Rise Of The Rest is an initiative launched in 2014 by Steve Case. Since then, Case has logged more than 6,000 miles touring entrepreneurial communities by bus in 26 cities. In each city, Case meets with elected officials, business leaders, startup ecosystem builders, and company founders, and hosts a pitch competition. Case’s Revolution has invested nearly $1 billion in companies outside of Silicon Valley over the past several years, through it’s Revolution Growth and Revolution Ventures funds. Rise Of The Rest is focused on early stage seed investments. Case has invested in nearly 50 seed stage companies since launching Rise Of The Rest. For more information, please visit: www.RiseOfRest.com or follow us on Twitter @RiseOfRest.
About Revolution
A Washington, DC-based investment firm founded by Steve Case in 2005, Revolution’s mission is to build disruptive, innovative companies that offer consumers more choice, convenience, and control in their lives. Revolution seeks to create significant value for companies that are attacking large, traditional industries with innovative new products and services. The Revolution team brings proven expertise in scaling up companies and helping to expand niche ideas into mass appeal. For more information, please visit: www.Revolution.com or follow us on Twitter @Revolution.
Press Contact:
Tracy Van Grack
Tracy.VanGrack@revolution.com
202-776-1420
