Revolution

At the end of September, we gathered 50 founders from across the country for 36 hours of connection. No surprise: We left inspired. Rise of the Rest’s 2024 Retreat was a reminder of our portfolio’s grit and the power of founder-to-founder candor. Senior Director of Portfolio Support Amira Ouji shares more on what went down in Alexandria: https://lnkd.in/eB79evWB Special shout out to AWS Startups and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP for helping make the event possible!

Nicholas Lalla founded Tulsa Innovation Labs to retool Tulsa for the tech economy. In Reinventing the Heartland, he shares a blueprint for cities to unlock inclusive, innovation-driven growth. No surprise: it's high on our reading list. Pre-order your copy: https://lnkd.in/d7GnHRFN

New Jersey skies seem to be on everyone's radar. But this isn't the first time unregulated drone activity has been in the spotlight.   As Ted Leonsis predicted in 2015, “Drones and airspace management are bound to come to a head.” That year, the Federal Aviation Administration recorded 920 drone sightings. Fast forward to 2024, and the United States Department of Defense estimates ~8,500 drones are in flight on an average day. That moment is here, and a combination of innovation and regulation will be needed to address it. https://lnkd.in/eiaPy9XF

While the bulk of venture capital remains concentrated in California (48% in 2023), seed and early-stage funding invested outside of CA, NY, and MA has more than doubled in the last decade. But, as Melissa Angell writes in Inc. Magazine, "there’s a lot more work ahead." More on the evolving geography of the American innovation economy: https://lnkd.in/gBkfsNiC https://lnkd.in/edMdMS8q 

"It’s hard to pitch the promise of technology as a good thing to the half of the U.S. population that has been systematically shut out from the innovation economy." More of Steve Case's take in The New York Times: https://lnkd.in/efmS_5sT 

A stark statistic from this year’s report on VC funding trends: Of the $170B invested in 2023, the 19 states (and D.C.) that voted for the Harris-Walz ticket received 84% of venture dollars, leaving the 31 states won by Trump-Vance with just 16%. In Rising from the Reset, we explore the geography of venture funding through the lens of November’s election results. Our report highlights a decade of growth in seed and early-stage funding beyond California, Massachusetts, and New York, the startup momentum rising ecosystems like Detroit, Kansas City, and Minneapolis (places we visited on our earliest bus tours) have built, and the opportunity the incoming administration has to broaden the innovation map. Entrepreneurship isn’t a red or blue state issue; it’s the engine of American progress. We’ve seen the innovation and economic impact growing startup ecosystems can drive, and we have the opportunity to build on that headway. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBkfsNiC

The demand for comprehensive, patient-centered maternity care has never been greater, and Oula’s collaborative approach is setting a new standard and delivering better outcomes at scale. Congratulations to the team on well-deserved recognition among Modern Healthcare's 2024 Best in Business: https://lnkd.in/gDwuQ4nk 

The payment platform that's delivered nearly $1 billion to a million contractors nationwide has fresh funding, a new, comprehensive suite of tools to attract and retain independent talent, and the same mission to economically empower gig workers. Congrats to Craig J. Lewis and team Gig Wage. Read more on what's next for the Rise of the Rest-backed company in Dallas Innovates: https://lnkd.in/ehMZgXT6  

Startups, like the ones on Deloitte's #Fast500, ignite industries, create jobs, and drive economies forward. Kudos to Revolution-backed Cariloop, Curbio, DraftKings Inc., FlavorCloud Inc., Place Exchange, and Stord for keeping their foot on the gas. https://lnkd.in/ev8PTq8

In Garry Cooper's words, "You don’t need power. You need purpose." For this neuroscientist-turned-founder, that purpose evolved into a powerful platform to scale the circular economy. Catch Rheaply's CEO among Essence Communications Inc.'s Power 40: https://lnkd.in/gDfPrfKp