For the second year in a row, tech students will be able to flock to Chicago for business experience and access to the city's biggest music festival.
ThinkChicago: Lollapalooza, launched by Mayor Rahm Emanuel this past summer, is set to return for this year's festival. The program encourages tech students to visit Chicago and meet with a variety of CEOs. After that, they spend the weekend in the Windy City to attend Lolla.
Because of the program's resounding success, Chicago will also host a venture capital summit the Wednesday before Lollapalooza. During that time, firms from across the country will be able to come together to meet with Chicago tech companies.
Mayor spokesman Tom Alexander said the week before Lollapalooza is a good time to promote the tech sector because the city is brimming with energy.
ThinkChicago: Lollapalooza and the summit are only some of Emanuel's plans to maintain growth in Chicago's tech community. He announced Monday that he plans to travel to the top five engineering and computer science schools in the country to recruit a new generation of tech workers. He also helped reveal Purdue University's new Chicago-based MBA program.
"Now is the time for us to double down and ensure that Chicago’s tech economy is a strong, lasting pillar of our overall economy," he said.
Emanuel also said he hopes to add 40,000 tech jobs over the next 10 years.
