{"id":11893,"date":"2019-02-01T13:20:25","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T18:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/?post_type=press-release&p=11893"},"modified":"2019-02-01T13:20:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-01T18:20:25","slug":"orlando-chosen-as-kickoff-city-for-revolutions-rise-of-the-rest-tour","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/media-advisories\/press-releases\/2019\/02\/orlando-chosen-as-kickoff-city-for-revolutions-rise-of-the-rest-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Chosen as Kickoff City for Revolution\u2019s Rise of the Rest Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"orlandoOrlando, Fla. – <\/strong>Revolution\u2019s Rise of the Rest\u00ae<\/sup>\u00a0tour<\/a> with Revolution Chairman and CEO and AOL Co-Founder Steve Case will kickoff its eighth nationwide tour in Orlando on April 29, 2019 followed by stops at the Space Coast, Tampa, Miami and finally San Juan, Puerto Rico. With the belief that high-growth companies can start and scale anywhere, not just in a few coastal cities, each Rise of the Rest bus tour visits five\u00a0cities in emerging startup ecosystems located outside of Silicon Valley, New York City and Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cRise of the Rest has helped put countless startup cities on the map, proving that innovative, investment-worthy tech is not just coming from hubs like Silicon Valley and New York City,\u201d said Tim Giuliani, CEO and President of the Orlando Economic Partnership. \u201cHowever, the goal of Rise of the Rest is to entice additional investments. Building awareness of Orlando\u2019s tech community, and attracting investment is what will lead to real change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the course of five days, the Revolution team, led by Case, will visit the fastest growing local startups, hear directly from innovators, spend time learning from local policy and business leaders in each city.<\/p>\n

At each stop on the tour, Revolution\u2019s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund will invest $500,000 in five promising local startups that win the pitch competitions in each visited city ($100,000 will be awarded in each city).<\/p>\n

\u201cBy investing in our innovation infrastructure and building on our existing economic strengths and diversification of workforce and industry, we will drive job creation,\u201d said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings. \u201cRise of the Rest will serve as a catalyst to further promote innovation and encourage a culture of entrepreneurship in our region.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRise of the Rest will have an immense impact on Orlando, both in terms of its industry and its economy, at no cost to the city,\u201d said City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. \u201cThe national attention and funding it will bring to our technology ecosystem and assets is unparalleled, showing the world that, when it comes to Orlando, they don\u2019t know the half of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Orlando is commonly known as the \u201cTheme Park Capital of the World,\u201d the region\u2019s modeling and simulation expertise has launched growing industries like virtual reality, gaming and smart transportation. Below are some factors feeding Orlando\u2019s tech growth:<\/p>\n