Local author and entrepreneur J.D. Vance made a stop in Columbus on Friday part of the Rise Of The Rest bus tour, an effort to encourage startups in the middle of the country.
The startup business model is more prominent in Silicon Valley, but Rise Of The Rest believes it can make a difference here in Ohio. Leaders in the industry spent the day visiting local businesses and discussing how, with support from investors and local government, startups can mean big job growth here.
J.D. Vance - author of "Hillbilly Elegy" and a former venture capitalist - says the most important thing is getting buy-in from the community.
“Trying to get the real stakeholders in the Columbus startup scene, from business leaders to startup leaders to civic leaders in the same room to figure out ways they can help each other and work together,” Vance says.
Friday afternoon, Vance sat on a panel with Falon Donohue, Steve Case and Megan Smith at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, hearing startup pitches and picking one to receive $100,000.
@RiseOfRest is underway at Main Library! pic.twitter.com/Ufdyz9P48S
— Columbus Library (@columbuslibrary) October 13, 2017
The tour, led by Case, will also stop in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
