ThinkChicago to Return in October

ThinkChicago is accepting applications until Sept. 7 from juniors and senior undergrads from seven regional states

ThinkChicago is returning to the city in October for 100 lucky undergrads at regional schools.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel teamed up with University of Illinois President Robert Easter and Chicago Ideas Week official Brad Keywell to announce the return of ThinkChicago, which will put 100 college juniors and seniors in touch with tech and innovation industry leaders in Chicago October 11-12.

The selected students will be given the opportunity to come to Chicago, network with the tech and innovation industry professionals and even tour some of Chicago's Fortune 500 companies' headquarters. The opportunity aims to provide students with a glimpse of the job possibilities they can expect from Chicago's vast digital tech market upon graduation.

"We have over 1,000 digital tech companies now in the city of Chicago, 128 startups launched in Chicago last year alone," the mayor said. "There is a new energy. The Second City is becoming the startup city. That's our goal."

The program accepts applications, which can be downloaded from the ThinkChicago website, from undergraduate students in their junior or senior year until Sept. 7. Students from schools in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota are allowed to apply as well.

NBC is a proud sponsor of ThinkChicago, which was established in 2011 to introduce top students from Midwest universities to cutting-edge companies in Chicago. The program will double in size this year.

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