McKinsey’s Datathon: The City Cup

Calling all coders and data scientists

At The City Cup you will gain insight into the types of problems that our McKinsey data scientists solve daily. You will leave with a better understanding of the meaningful work we do with clients and the impact we create, as well as the various opportunities that McKinsey offers for tech talent. In addition to the hands-on hacking exercise, you will have ample time to network with our colleagues and ask them any questions that are on your mind.

City cup prizes

1st prize

Attendance at ICML, including accommodation + gadget

2nd prize

Attendance at local conference of your choice, including accommodation + gadget

3rd prize

One-year subscription to Data Camp + gadget

Event details and requirements

Eligibility requirements

University students in relevant bachelor's or master's program
or
PhD students
or
Professionals with fewer than 5 years of work experience

All attendees must be fluent in English, and ideally in the local language of the country where they attend The City Cup.

The City Cup is intended for individuals based in countries within Europe and Turkey. It is one of our many worldwide programs aimed at helping all candidates get to know McKinsey better.

Team formation

Once the application deadline closes, we will add you to an event app (owned by McKinsey) where you will have 10 days to connect with other participants and form teams.

Our recommendation is to form a team of 3, however, teams of 2 are also welcome. In the case you don’t form a team, we will assign you to one.

On the day of the event, you can withdraw from the competition, however, to compete for prizes, your team needs to have at least 2 members until the end. Teams of 1 will be able to stay and complete the challenge, but they will not be eligible for prizes.

Inside McKinsey’s Datathon: The City Cup

In November 2019 we hosted The City Cup in Madrid, Munich, and Moscow. More than 130 talented tech professionals participated in the 14-hour event where they spent half the time modeling how governments can minimize a $180 billion risk of earthquake damage and other natural disasters.

Featured practices

McKinsey Analytics

Learn how we help clients build analytics-driven organizations and achieve better performance through data.

McKinsey Digital

Learn how we help clients use digital to create value by reinventing the core of their business.

Tech Careers

We’re hiring

McKinsey is hiring inspiring data scientists, software engineers, digital-solution consultants, data engineers, product managers, and designers.

From day one, you will be part of an agile team dedicated to helping our McKinsey clients, some of the world’s most innovative and influential organizations, perform at their best.

Past participant feedback

“I didn’t know McKinsey worked with machine learning and analytics before joining the event and was very pleased to learn that there’s a data science community at the firm.”

“I didn’t know what to expect from the day, but it ended up being a great learning experience for data science and informal way of meeting McKinsey consultants and recruiters.”

“The event gave me a good insight into McKinsey Analytics, both in the work they do and people working there. I considered the day to be a great success!”

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