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The Coalition formed three years ago as a growth catalyst for Milwaukee’s tech industry with the mission of inclusively doubling tech talent to drive enduring economic prosperity and life-changing opportunities.

As the tech hub movement grows, we want to take the time to celebrate the work and impact that YOU made possible through your support, involvement, and belief in Milwaukee’s tech ecosystem.

Join us on October 5, from 1 pm – 3 pm, for our 3-year anniversary celebration with guest speaker Steve Case, America Online co-founder and New York Times bestselling author.

Steve Case’s new book, Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream, launches September 28. The Rise of the Rest team is hitting the road again to visit cities across the Midwest – and Milwaukee is one of the first stops.

It was a decade ago that Steve Case began advocating for more venture investment between the coasts. The Rise of the Rest began as a bus tour that’s turned into a broader movement and belief that the acceleration of geographic dispersion of both talent and capital will help create a more inclusive innovation economy that benefits not only the startups scaling but also the communities in which they’re situated.

Agenda:

1:00 - 1:30 Registration and Networking

1:30 - 3:00 Presentation by MKE Tech Hub Coalition and Steve Case

* All attendees will receive the new book as a gift

We look forward to gathering our Members together for another anniversary celebration! THANK YOU for walking alongside us these past three years.

Note: there is limited space for the in-person event. First come, first served. Virtual viewing will be made available.

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ABOUT STEVE CASE

Steve Case is one of America’s best-known and most accomplished entrepreneurs, and a pioneer in making the internet part of everyday life. He co-founded America Online in 1985, when just 3 percent of people were online for an average of just 1 hour a week. He saw the possibilities of the digital future and built AOL into the largest and most valuable internet company in the 1990s (and the first internet company to go public). Case's passion for helping entrepreneurs remains his driving force. He was the founding chair of the Startup America Partnership—an effort launched at the White House in 2011 to accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship in every region of the country. Case also was the founding co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and a member of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, where he chaired the subcommittee on entrepreneurship. He was active in passing the bipartisan JOBS Act in 2012, which made it easier for startups to raise capital. His engagement on policy led Politico to name him “Washington’s tech whisperer” in 2017.

In 2014, Steve Case launched Revolution’s "Rise of the Rest," an initiative to accelerate the growth of startups based outside of Silicon Valley. Rise of the Rest is based on a simple idea: talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. Today, around 75% of all venture capital in the U.S. goes to just three states: New York, Massachusetts, and California. A visionary founder himself, Case believes that great entrepreneurs and ideas can thrive with the proper support and investment. Because the tech sector has concentrated in so few areas, the economic benefits of technology growth have not accrued to enough places in the U.S. Today, the U.S economy is the largest in the world, a testament to several generations of pioneering entrepreneurs. America’s continued leadership will depend on our ability to level the playing field for the next generation of entrepreneurs so that more people, in more places can share in the innovation economy.

In The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream, Case takes readers on an exhilarating journey into the startup communities that are transforming cities nationwide. Rise of the Rest’s signature bus tours have reached 40+ cities and logged 11,000+ miles spotlighting communities large and small that have committed to a new tech-enabled future. Along the way, Case introduces readers to dozens of entrepreneurs whose inspirational stories of struggle and achievement match the most iconic examples of American invention. Whether it’s indoor farming in coal country, freight logistics in Chattanooga, or Styrofoam alternatives in Richmond, VA, these founders are leveraging regional strengths and betting on the future of innovation outside of the coastal tech hubs.

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