Village Capital will join bus tour October 3-7 of emerging startup ecosystems from Nebraska to Arizona
Press Release – (Washington, DC) – The Village Capital team is excited to support the announcement of the 5th Rise of the Rest (ROTR) tour with Steve Case. This most recent iteration of the ROTR tour will travel more than 2,100 miles through the Western United States from October 3 to October 7, in the following cities:
- October 3rd: Omaha/Lincoln, Nebraska
- October 4th: Denver, Colorado
- October 5th: Salt Lake City, Utah
- October 6th: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- October 7th: Phoenix, Arizona
During the tour, Case will invest a total of $500,000 in regional startups and host a series of events and fireside chats showcasing the emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems in each city.
Village Capital has collectively logged 60+ days with past Rise of the Rest tours, visiting all 19 cities that have hosted the Rise of the Rest team. Additional partners on Rise of the Rest include Revolution, Google for Entrepreneurs, Salesforce for Startups, Economic Innovation Group, Inc., Engine, and Tech.Co.
“Village Capital’s mission is to democratize entrepreneurship, and that includes expanding the map of where great startups can thrive,” said Ross Baird, CEO of Village Capital. “We are excited to be on the bus for this year’s showcase of western entrepreneurial activity, and to continue to build our VilCap Communities program which already has a footprint in 16 cities across the United States.”
Applications for the pitch competition will open on July 28 and close September 7, 2016 (6:00 p.m. EDT), and startups from all five cities are eligible to apply. The winner of the pitch competition in each region will receive a $100,000 investment from Case.
Since its inception in 2014, Case has invested more than $2 million in 20 startups in cities across the U.S. Over the past 5 years Village Capital has made 67 investments in Rise of the Rest markets, and is on track to make and facilitate the commitment of more than 60 investments in these communities over the next year.
ABOUT VILLAGE CAPITAL
Village Capital sources, trains and invests in seed-stage entrepreneurs with business solutions to major global problems. Village Capital recruits entrepreneurs solving specific problems in agriculture, energy, education, financial inclusion, and health, and then puts the power of investment in the hands of the entrepreneurs, who award the prize investments to the two ventures ranked highest by their peers at the end of every program. The organization supports early-stage ventures through a 501c3 nonprofit operating training programs for founders, investors, and communities, as well as through an affiliated, for-profit investment fund providing early-stage capital to top-ranked ventures of each program. To learn more, visit http://www.vilcap.com.
