22 Apr AOL co-founder Steve Case says ‘sky’s the limit’ for cities like Madison
By Judy Newman, Wisconsin State Journal
The Internet’s “Third Wave” is taking hold, bringing with it more opportunity than ever for non-coastal cities such as Madison to shine, America Online (AOL) co-founder Steve Case told Madison business leaders Thursday.
But communities will have to make tech innovation a priority, and open the entrepreneurial doors to women and minorities, he said. “Democratize access to entrepreneurship so everyone who has an idea has an opportunity,” Case said.
About 750 area business and community leaders filled the bare floor of the Kohl Center arena while 450 high school and college students watched from the bleachers as Case and broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien addressed the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce’s second annual IceBreaker luncheon.
Case, now CEO and chairman of Revolution, a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm, has written a book, “The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future.”
Inspired by the 1980 book, “The Third Wave,” by futurist Alvin Toffler about the move from an agricultural society to industrial to the information age, Case said the Internet’s phases can be described in a similar way. Read more …