Founded by AOL co-founder Steve Case, the DC-based investment firm Revolution emerged in 2005 with a bold mission: to invest in startups around the country – highlighting venture opportunity beyond Silicon Valley and partnering with founders who recognize the
transformative impact of policy and regulation in helping them build market-defining companies. By championing entrepreneurs nationwide, Revolution is helping to upend age-old industry models and unleash the next wave of innovation and economic power in cities across the country.
A Family of Funds
Revolution looks to partner with passionate founders across the entrepreneurial lifecycle. With its family of funds –Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Revolution Ventures, and Revolution Growth – the firm closely supports companies through every stage of growth. Revolution Growth, founded with Monumental (Washington Wizards and Caps) CEO and majority owner Ted Leonsis, backs late-stage growth companies such as Sweetgreen, Cava, DraftKings, Optoro, and Scopely. Revolution Ventures zeroes in on early-stage innovators, backing standout firms like Framebridge, Homesnap, and GoodBuy Gear. Meanwhile, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund seeks out the brightest seed-stage startups with investments in companies like Cambium Carbon, Catalyte, and Placemakr.
In contrast with Revolution Growth and Revolution Ventures, the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund is backed by individuals (vs. institutional investors) who believe that the next great company could emerge from an ecosystem beyond Silicon Valley. The group includes investors, executives, and founders such as Henry Kravis, Ray Dalio, Sara Blakely, Jeff Bezos, David Rubenstein, and Tory Burch.
Rise of the Rest: A Mission to Uncover Hidden Gems
As Revolution Chairman and CEO Steve Case often says, “Although talent is equally distributed; opportunity is not.” A staggering 75 percent of venture capital funds are allocated to just three states: California, New York, and Massachusetts. While many firms expanded their investing aperture during the Zoom days of Covid, Revolution has intentionally looked outside Silicon Valley for deals for over two decades. The firm launched the Rise of the Rest Road Trip in 2014 to highlight this element of its investment philosophy. The tour travels to startup ecosystems nationwide, visiting everywhere from startup offices to university programs to coding boot camps, to highlight what innovation means in each community.
The team has traveled to more than 45 cities and logged more than 11,000 miles on a bus to shine a spotlight on the technology that promises to create new industries or innovate on existing ones. Revolution’s frequent trips to cities across the country are a differentiator. The firm believes that a boots-on-the-ground approach is critical. It allows the team’s investors to hear from other VCs, policymakers, and business leaders about what helps and hinders startups in a particular location.
The relationships have created a proprietary network that funnel unique and often early dealflow. To date, Revolution has invested in more than 200 startups in more than 100 cities outside of Silicon Valley.
Policy Matters
Often, tech and government are viewed as being at odds with one another. Revolution recognizes the importance of changing that dynamic. In particular, the firm focuses on supporting startups as they aim to manage risk and seize opportunities in D.C. As one of the few D.C.-based venture firms, Revolution’s deep roots in policy circles position the firm to offer advice, intel, and introductions to founders that support navigating complex regulatory challenges.
Revolutionizing Real Estate Investment
Revolution Places, Revolution’s hospitality arm, taps into distinctive opportunities within the travel and real estate development space, forging new tourism models that champion a healthy lifestyle. It invests in differentiated properties with significant long-term development potential and branded, lifestyle hospitality companies with the opportunity to scale. Revolution also has a real estate initiative that invests in multi-use and residential projects to support bringing talent to growing startup ecosystems in Rise of the Rest cities across the country.
The Revolution Continues. With each investment and initiative, Revolution redefines what it means to innovate, not just navigating change but being a catalyst for it – a true revolution in every sense of the word.
