The Illinois Semiconductor Scholarship 🤑

Hey Friends!

Welcome to the 28th Edition of the Driver’s Seat newsletter 🚙 

I spent majority of last week in San Francisco representing Chicago during the TechCrunch Disrupt conference.

Meeting with founders / investors in SF to discuss the rise of Chicago Tech 3.0 got me fired up!

(Chicago 3.0 has a nice ring to it… marking an evolution from the World's Fair Era = 1.0, the Groupon/GrubHub Era = 2.0, to our promising present + future = 3.0)

During my time in SF, I had the opportunity to attend an impressive GENESIS meetup, which was organized in collaboration with the Entreprenuers@Berkeley club.

GENESIS is a dynamic collective / community of driven Gen Z entrepreneurs in Chicago, which was founded / supported in the Drive Chicago office 🚙

I’m proud of what these guys are doing for our ecosystem. The establishment of more entrepreneurial collectives in Chicago will undoubtedly bring significant benefits to Chicago 3.0 🚀

You can stay up-to-date with GENESIS Chicago events here.

Overall, founders in the Midwest must push boundaries as they drive innovation, particularly when it comes to harnessing transformative technologies like LLMs, semiconductors, supercomputers, and blockchain.

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, during a recent visit to UIUC, said something that has stuck with me for a while:

"Students [and founders] in the Midwest should blur their boundaries as they shape innovation."

Think big, Chicago.

📍 Today’s Lineup:

🤑 The Illinois Semiconductor Scholarship

✅ Windy City Highlights

🏫 Midwest Grads Turned Founders: UMich Edition

🗺 Events Around the City

🔙 Previous Issues of the Driver’s Seat

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