Mayor Lightfoot joins World Business Chicago, City Colleges of Chicago, and Discovery Partners Institute to announce ThinkChicago Launchpad

For the first-time ever, WBC's flagship STEM talent attraction and retention program, ThinkChicago, will host Launchpad, an exclusive event for City Colleges of Chicago students and alumni

CHICAGO, Sept. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot joins World Business Chicago, City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) and Discovery Partners Institute to announce the launch of ThinkChicago Launchpad, a brand-new event exclusive to City Colleges of Chicago students and alumni. Interested students can register for the opportunity to enjoy a multi-day immersion experience to explore Chicago's thriving tech, innovation, and startup ecosystem at www.thinkchicago.net/launchpad.

ThinkChicago Launchpad participants will enjoy the opportunity to hear from startup CEOs and technologists and attend networking sessions to explore the city's tech and innovation sector. Students will also have access to a number of career development opportunities, including resume workshops and free professional headshots See the full agenda at http://www.thinkchicago.net/launchpad.

"When it comes to diverse, local talent, City Colleges of Chicago is truly one of the city's powerhouses," said Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. "I am beyond proud to see World Business Chicago's ThinkChicago program tap into this talent pool and rapidly grow with City Colleges students. Their team is setting an example by showing our local tech companies that they can attract and hire top-tier STEM talent right here in our great city."

ThinkChicago is organized by World Business Chicago, with anchor partners, the University of Illinois System and the City of Chicago. In 2021, World Business Chicago named City Colleges of Chicago as a ThinkChicago anchor partner, ensuring stronger connectivity between CCC talent and the tech companies in Chicago.

"City Colleges of Chicago is both a strong pipeline of diverse talent and an economic driver for the city," said Michael Fassnacht, President and CEO of World Business Chicago, and Chief Marketing Officer for the City of Chicago. "For those reasons and more, we look forward to partnering with Chancellor Salgado and his team on the upcoming ThinkChicago Launchpad, providing access to career opportunities in Chicago's technology and innovation ecosystem to City Colleges students and alumni."

"Chicago tech companies and startups have an amazing partner through City Colleges," said Mark Tebbe, Chair of World Business Chicago's Innovation and Venture Council. "Chancellor Salgado and the entire organization is actively engaging with our local startup ecosystem, and we're proud to build an even stronger bridge between talented City College students and fast-growing local companies."

City Colleges of Chicago aims to put every student on the path to upward mobility. CCC is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation. With locations across the city, the seven colleges include: Richard J. Daley, Kennedy-King, Malcolm X, Olive-Harvey, Harry S Truman, Harold Washington, and Wilbur Wright colleges. City Colleges also oversees: the award-winning Washburne Culinary Institute, the Sikia Banquet Facility, five Child Development Centers, and radio station WKKC FM 89.3. For more than 100 years, City Colleges has transformed the lives of more than one million students through education. 

"City Colleges of Chicago is a critical vehicle of empowerment for young people and the thousands of residents we serve," said Juan Salgado, Chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago. "Our students truly represent the future of our city: talented, diverse, and ready to get to work. With Chicago now home to one of the fastest-growing tech economies in the country, ThinkChicago is a vital effort to ensure City Colleges continues to be part of this growth."

ThinkChicago Launchpad is supported by global crypto company CoinFlip as presenting sponsor, other sponsors include Milwaukee Tool, Nature's Fynd, and tastytrade.

"As a leading Chicago fintech company, we're excited to build upon our hiring locally," said Daniel Polotsky, Founder and Chairman of CoinFlip. "We're proud to be a presenting sponsor for an important program like ThinkChicago, which shows students they can launch, build, and thrive with a STEM career in our hometown Chicago."

World Business Chicago serves a critical role in driving inclusive and equitable recovery throughout the city's 77 neighborhoods, focused on high growth sectors: transportation, distribution, & logistics; manufacturing; healthcare & life sciences, and our local innovation, startup, & venture ecosystem. As the City of Chicago's economic development agency, World Business Chicago leads corporate attraction & retention, workforce & talent, community impact, and promotion of Chicago as a leading global city. Supported by a council of 300+ local leaders, World Business Chicago's portfolio of innovation & venture programs include: the Chicago Venture Summit series, Startup Chicago, ThinkChicago, and Venture Engine with the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition (ISTC). Follow World Business Chicago on LinkedIn & Twitter for daily news and announcements on company relocation and expansion; industry and ecosystem growth, U.S. and world rankings, and more about Chicago's economic progress. www.worldbusinesschicago.com

CoinFlip is a leading fintech company powered by cryptocurrency. The company operates the world's largest network of cryptocurrency ATMs by transaction volume with over 4,000 machines across 49 states supporting the buying and selling of major cryptocurrencies with cash. In 2020, CoinFlip launched Trade Desk, an over-the-counter trading service that provides investors a personal account manager and competitive coin pricing. CoinFlip became an international company in 2022 via expansion into Canada. The company has amongst the lowest fees in the industry and provides 24/7 award-winning customer support. CoinFlip was founded in 2015 by Daniel Polotsky, Kristoffer Dayrit, Alan Gurevich, and Benjamin Weiss. Headquartered in Chicago, CoinFlip placed in the top 100 on the 2021 and 2022 Inc. 5000 list, was named the 2021 and 2022 #1 fastest-growing company in Chicago by Crain's, and was awarded the 2021 and 2022 Stevie® Awards for Customer Service. For more information about CoinFlip, please visit www.CoinFlip.tech.

SOURCE World Business Chicago