Through 20+ years as an entrepreneur and investor, co-founding four tech companies, and investing in over 100 startups from coast to coast, I have seen firsthand the number of talented and innovative people across the American Heartland. I started One America Works as my way to give back, to showcase this innovation, and to connect this terrific talent to opportunity. I’m proud of the difference we’ve made in reinventing the story of the American innovation economy.
One America Works is more than an inspirational vision – we’ve made a real, measurable impact.
In 2022, we offered a series of programs and events to highlight our 13 high-growth tech hubs. We’ve engaged city leaders to help foster collaboration, build trust, and bring in venture capital. Our events have brought together over 700 attendees from 30 states, including over 100 economic development leaders, 300 tech startups, and 200 investors.
At the start of the pandemic, we built a talent network across the country through first-of-their-kind virtual recruiting events. We’ve connected over 7,500 job seekers, largely from coastal cities like SF and NYC, with fantastic opportunities in our target cities: Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indianapolis, Austin, and Nashville, to name a few. Our employer network is strong, and we’ve engaged over 100 companies of all sizes, from startups like Updox and Niche.com to large corporations like Google and Amazon.
Since 2019, we have helped identify, recruit, and expand high-growth tech companies into our partner cities. We worked with companies like Bodo.ai, Roadrunner Recycling and 20 more to establish a presence in cities like Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Atlanta, generating hundreds of jobs.
And finally, we’ve been a force in promoting the Heartland’s potential. We’ve published hundreds of pieces of original content garnering nearly 10M impressions. More importantly, we attracted national attention to this story by collaborating with publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Forbes, Axios, Business Insider, and many more.
This work has brought nearly $50M in economic impact to our partner cities.
We believe the opportunity is just beginning. The Heartland has the people to innovate – and only requires the capital to fuel that innovation. Going forward, we will focus on expanding the Trust Network and bringing more venture capital into the region.
If you want to see everything we’ve accomplished this year, please take look at our 2022 Impact Report. Silicon Valley is not just a place; it’s a Trust Network. I’m proud to say that we’re working hard to help build that network all across the country.
