AOL founder Steve Case today cited the momentum and collaboration around Chattanooga's business startup efforts, calling them "super important."
"You don't see that in all cities," said Case as he kicked off his Rise of the Rest visit to Chattanooga with about 100 entrepreneurs, city officials and others at the Songbirds Museum at the Choo Choo. "It's great to see people here who do believe."
Case said Chattanooga has made a lot of progress, but he noted that it's still early.
"It's a little like the first inning," he said. "There's still a lot of work to do. You've got to double down and put more points on the board."
Case's Rise of the Rest campaign is designed to promote entrepreneurship outside of California's Silicon Valley. In its fourth year, the bus tour is powered by the investment firm Revolution, of which Case is CEO. The tour showcases founders in emerging startup ecosystems across the U.S.
Case's group plans to hear pitches from eight Chattanooga businesses, one of which will win a $100,000 prize.
The other cities on this month's stop in addition to Chattanooga and Birmingham are Memphis, Dallas, and Louisville.
Since the tour launched, Case and that team have traveled more than 8,000 miles on a bus to visit 33 cities and invest in local startups. The tour stopped in Nashville in 2014.
Read more later at timesfreepress.com or in Friday's Times Free Press newspaper.