Birmingham’s technology start-up scene is poised to receive a substantial boost from an initiative led by Steve Case, the founder of America Online and a champion of supporting emerging innovation ecosystems across the U.S.
Case will visit Birmingham on May 9 as part of the initiative’s five-city “Rise of the Rest” bus tour, now in its fourth year. The visit is meant to showcase the city’s growing tech start-up sector, culminating with a $100,000 investment from the Rise of the Rest Fund in a local business.
“For the past four years, we have been encouraged by the entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders we’ve met on our tours and are excited to invest catalytic capital into these Rise of the Rest regions,” said Case, chairman and CEO of Revolution, a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm whose mission is to build disruptive, innovative companies.
Since the tour launched, Case and his team have traveled more than 8,000 miles on a bus to visit 33 cities and invest in local startups, according to an announcement today.
“It’s encouraging to see the interesting businesses and growth potential of startups in these cities,” said J.D. Vance, managing partner of the Rise of the Rest Fund. “We’ve witnessed firsthand the potential for startup ecosystems to transform economies and believe by investing in these companies early we are capitalizing on long-term trends.”
The tour stop in Birmingham also features Google for Entrepreneurs, a longtime Rise of the Rest partner, which will provide coaches to help start-up founders with their investment pitches.
“Steve Case knows that cities like Birmingham are the beginning of a new era for entrepreneurship across the U.S. I look forward to welcoming Steve this summer and showing him, firsthand, why our city is the national destination for entrepreneurs, innovators and startups,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement.
Other cities on the Rise of the Rest Tour are Dallas, Memphis, Chattanooga and Louisville.
BRONZE VALLEY INITIATIVE
“With Bronze Valley, we’re putting the collaborative infrastructure in place to support transformational growth and progress.”
The tour wasn’t the only good news for Birmingham’s start-up scene today.
Bronze Valley Corp., a non-profit organization that aims to promote diversity and growth in the region’s tech start-up sector, launched today with a conference featuring corporate executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
The program aims to help attract capital startups and provide active mentorship for entrepreneurs. Its mission is to create an opportunity pipeline for those underrepresented in technology careers.
“There is a need,” said Bronze Valley Executive Director Neil Wright, a 25-year veteran in banking and finance. “And there is an opportunity to meet that need. As business leaders, we have an obligation to enhance and improve our ecosystem for growth. We can fulfill that obligation by creating an entrepreneurial environment that is more nurturing, more supportive and more inclusive.
“Bronze Valley is the perfect vehicle for that,” he added.
John Hudson, a member of the Bronze Valley board of directors, said the initiative is “about creating and perpetuating a culture of innovation.” Hudson is senior vice president of Marketing and Business Development for Alabama Power, a corporate sponsor of Bronze Valley.
“Not just in Birmingham and Alabama, but throughout the Southeast, we have the momentum and we have the ingredients,” Hudson said. “With Bronze Valley, we’re putting the collaborative infrastructure in place to support transformational growth and progress.”