Do you want your teen to

unlock unique opportunities?

build a portfolio of impressive projects

work with billion-dollar companies

access mentors from global companies

accelerate their potential

join a network of ambitious teens worldwide

The world’s top global accelerator for teens

TKS is a 10-month global innovation program for ambitious high school students ages 13-17.

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Your teen will get real value out of TKS

Emerging Tech Knowledge

Your teen will learn about emerging technologies that are changing the world in areas like artificial intelligence and gene editing.

Mentorship

Each student gets personalized mentorship from their program directors, and can earn access to our mentor network of 200+ experts.

Mindsets Training

We help teens develop foundational mindsets to help them optimize themselves so they can make change in the world.

Global Community

Your teen will be in a community of like-minded people who care about making an impact on the world and solving problems.

4,000+

Alumni

Your teen will have support from a network of alumni who have built startups and attended top-tier universities.

300+

Cities

TKS students join a global community of impact-driven young people who want to make the world a better place.

Our story

Students build real projects in just a few months

No prior knowledge needed. We expose students to emerging technologies and sciences, while training real-world skills.

Here are some projects our students have worked on:

Jonathan Kao

Age

Ottawa, Canada

Exoskeletons are no just longer found in nature. They can be found in humans, in innovation, and soon enough, they will change the world.

The future of bionics: how exoskeletons will change the world.

Rishay Gupta

Age

Red Bank, USA

I'll be taking you through my process of building a pneumatic robot. I'll also go over some of the mechanical and electrical setbacks I faced while building it.

Process of building a pneumatic robot with applications in search & rescue.

Viola Seda

Age

San Francisco, USA

I focused on sodium-ion batteries in solar storage as a solution to the duck curve problem compared to lithium-ion, addressing electricity demand.

Improving sodium-ion batteries in solar storage to solve the duck curve problem.

Vinaya Sharma

Age

Toronto, Canada

Why models from scratch will never be as good as Transfer Learning models at classifying brain tumours - a comparative analysis.

Using transfer learning models to classify brain tumours.

Minh Anh Đồng Nguyễn

Age

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Finding the ground state energies and bond lengths of Lithium Hydride and Hydrogen using Variational Quantum Eigensolver in Qiskit.

Simulating molecules using a quantum computing programming software.

Pavi Dhiman

Age

Toronto, Canada

In this video, I explain how I built out an algorithm using the machine learning model DBSCAN (a density based clustering algorithm) and give a live demo.

Contact tracing for COVID-19 using the DBSCAN clustering algorithm.

Mia Aiyana Cardenas

Age

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Basically, bacteria can talk! Learn how the discovery of a glowing squid led to a revolutionary spin on virulence and antibiotics.

Understanding Quorum Sensing, a process of bacterial cell–cell communication.

Jovana Urosevic

Age

Zurich, Switzerland

Through the use of BCI applied to lucid dreams, scientists have discovered incredible insights in the field of dreaming and sleep.

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) changing the future of dreams.

Alumni experience a real impact after TKS

Here's what they have to say about their experience:

SpaceX engineer and founder of Ember Bazaar.

"TKS has helped me realize that I'm meant to build and that I will continue to build and help others in spaces like climate tech and space tech! It helped me build an engineering portfolio and get amazing internships and opportunities."

Valkyrie Holmes

TKS 2019

Utopia Labs raises $23M led by Paradigm Capital.

"Through the mentors and friends I met during TKS, I learned mental models that deeply impacted me and shaped who I am today. TKS helped me be unafraid of tackling ambitious problems and pursue a more unconventional path.”

Alexander Wu

TKS 2017

Blockchain powered hedge fund at Numerai.

"TKS gave me a community of inspiring peers, helped me create projects that got me internships at AI research labs and startups while in high school, and made me feel ready to work full-time at a startup in Silicon Valley without university."

Liam Hinzman

TKS 2018

Full-ride Morehead-Cain scholarship to UNC pursuing biotech.

“TKS sparked my interest in building real-world change. I’ve worked with scientists in the cultured meat industry, built a maternal public health program in Nigeria, and created a women’s health product (Boob Blurb)."

Isabella Grandic

TKS 2018

Early cancer detection using genomics at Stanford.

"TKS propelled me into an environment of like-minded individuals where I built projects in cancer research, formed life-long connections, and built mindsets towards innovative success. The people I met in TKS remain my closest friends."

Kevin Zhu

TKS 2019

Managing Director at Nucleate, global biotech leader.

"I got my first exposure to CRISPR-Cas9 and the scientific method during TKS, and I find myself relying on those lessons to this day as I help develop and deploy the next generation of genetic engineering tools here at MIT."

Michael Trinh

TKS 2018

Founder, Axiome: biosensors for molecular diagnostics.

"Through TKS, I was strongly encouraged to pursue my curiosities in areas that normally require a deep technical background, and was exposed to frameworks that have been immensely valuable as I've been building my company."

Samarth Athreya

TKS 2017

Battery innovation with material science and machine learning.

"I met people at TKS who really get me and enable me to be my most authentic self while pushing for my growth. TKS helped me unlock opportunities, internships, and network connections that were life-changing."

Shagun Maheshwari

TKS 2017

Founding engineer at Thirdweb valued at $160M.

"TKS was the catalyst for me to rapidly progress toward my goals. It showed me that I didn't need to wait to start building valuable technical skills, start companies, and carve my own path. Without it, my life would look very different."

Adam Majmudar

TKS 2019

Co-founder of human longevity startup, Biotein.

"TKS gave me a new frame of reference for what I could accomplish. I trained tangible mental models like breaking down major issues into their root causes. I wouldn't have been able to cofound a biotech startup without this experience."

Anupra Chandran

TKS 2017

AI startup Tecton raises $100M from a16z and Sequoia.

"I started TKS in 2016 and it was the place where I learned about artificial intelligence and data. I met my mentor Mike during TKS, who later hired me to work at Tecton as an early product manager building advanced AI tools."

Jay Parthasarthy

TKS 2016

Brain-Computer Interfaces at Neuralink and Stanford.

"TKS pushed me to build, learn, and invent, alongside the most supportive group of friends I've ever met. During the program I built my first Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) project, and projects in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and gene editing. TKS changed my trajectory."

Ananya Chadha

TKS 2016

Alumni Stories

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Our students get employed by top brands

Many of our students are the world’s youngest employees in their industries and have worked at companies including:

TKS students speak on the world's largest stages

TKS students have presented at some of the largest conferences in the world including:

Alumni attend top universities

TKS alumni attend and receive significant scholarship funding to top-rated Universities in the United States and around the world:

We work with the best

A core value we have is “make it real”. We work with companies to help our students learn how to solve real problems, find expert mentors, and earn internships. Here's what our corporate partners say about TKS students.

Company Spotlights

Tobi Lutke

"It’s ridiculous how smart they are. I had a conversation on particle physics with a 13-year-old."

Mentorship

Kevin Peesker

Engaging with [TKS] students...it’s hard not to walk away and think, “WOW!”

Mentorship

Karina Fernandez

“...my jaw literally dropped listening to them articulate real-world problems they had broken down and solved."

Corporate Innovation

Adam Molnar

"It’s ridiculous how smart they are. I had a conversation on particle physics with a 13-year-old."

Workshops

Piotr Mierzejewski

“It only took a 30 minute conversation with a group of TKS students for me to feel inspired and find renewed faith in our future."

Internships

Sean Khan

“I was absolutely blown away by the recommendations that the students shared, and I’m excited to implement their ideas.”

Corporate Innovation

Lee Jeyes

"Our partnership with TKS allows us to collaborate with people [teens] whose minds are less constrained than an adult."

Internships

Liran Belenzon

Engaging with [TKS] students...it’s hard not to walk away and think, “WOW!”

Workshops

Program details

Below is an overview of the program:

Overview

TKS is a 10-month accelerator program from September 2024 to June 2025. During the program, students attend weekly 3-hour sessions with their cohort. Each cohort has ~30 students and a full-time Program Director and Associate Director that are dedicated to coaching and guiding students.

During the week, students can earn access to special events like guest speakers, workshops, and conferences. We also host socials and community events for the students to make friends with others from around the world and locally.

The core elements of TKS include:

Project Building: We've designed a highly effective project-based learning method called "The Focus Process". During TKS, we help students explore various topics and discover their interests. Once they find something they're excited about, we help them build real projects, while connecting with experts and mentors to support them.

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Challenges: TKS students learn how to solve real-world problems by working with global companies. Students have worked on challenges with the United Nations, Google, Airbnb, Microsoft, IKEA, and many more. They learn how to apply frameworks including First Principles Thinking, MECE Analysis, and breaking down problems into their root causes.

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Moonshots: Inspired by Google and The Moonshot Factory, students expand their limit of ambition and think beyond traditional constraints. They create projects and ideas to solve problems that impact millions, while gaining a depth of understanding in the economics of the industry and technical/scientific requirements.

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Mentorship & Coaching: In TKS, students learn to set personal objectives, stay accountable, and increase their personal bandwidth/productivity levels. They can schedule 1-on-1 coaching calls with their program directors, and attend group coaching workshops on topics like "how to connect with experts on LinkedIn" and "creating a personal Eisenhower Matrix". They can also access our expert mentors, who support them on technical projects and provide personalized guidance.

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Community: Meeting like-minded people and forming new friendships are central in TKS. We do this through community events (virtual and in-person), interactive team-based projects, alumni mentorship, and more.

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Real-World Skills: Develop useful skills that you'll use in the real world, including networking, cold outreach, public speaking, presenting, writing (not essays), personal brand building, and productivity hacks.

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By the end of the program, students achieve exponential growth - personally, socially, and academically.

Eligibility

This program is designed for students between the ages of 13-17.

In addition to the age requirement, your child must also:

Be proficient in English.
Have access to a good internet connection.

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Your child doesn't need previous knowledge about emerging technology and coding, however having this knowledge can be helpful during the program.

Note: At the time of applying, your child can be 12 years old.

Timezones

In Person Program: In-person program sessions are run on Saturday mornings and afternoons, and Sunday mornings. Students choose their cohort timing after they are accepted into the program.

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Global Virtual Program: We host programs in multiple time zones to accommodate students from around the world.

Once accepted, your child will be provided with multiple options to select from. Sessions are weekly and primarily on platforms including Gather, Butter, and Zoom.

You and your child can choose between attending sessions on the weekend or weekday evenings (after school). The duration of weekly sessions are usually 2-3 hours.

Tuition

Tuition for the program goes directly into employee salaries and operating costs. Our program directors and staff are full-time and 100% dedicated to our students and alumni. Tuition cost varies for our Global Virtual Program and in-person programs. Please submit your information in the form at the top or bottom of this page to receive details on tuition in your city.

Duration:

The program is 10 months.
September 2024 to June 2025.

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Financial Aid:
‍Our commitment is to support ambitious students regardless of their financial situation. Accepted students must apply for financial support and demonstrate their financial needs to ensure support is going to the people who need it most. Please don’t let your financial situation stop your child from applying.

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Important Dates

Below are important dates to remember:

Program Dates
‍The program will run from September 2024 to June 2025.

Applications Open
‍January 2024

Regular Application Deadline
‍We evaluate applications on a rolling cycle until May. This means that if your child submits their application tomorrow, we will review it and get back to you within 14 days. Once the program is full, we will no longer accept applications.

What's the time commitment?

The duration of weekly sessions are 2-3 hours. The day and time will depend on the cohort your family selects upon being accepted. Usually, these sessions are on the weekend or weekday evenings.Outside of sessions, students work on a variety of projects. There are no set time requirements, however students who grow the most during TKS typically allocate 5-10 hours weekly to their projects.There's no homework in TKS. We've designed the program to reflect the real world and built our own learning platform for students to dive into emerging technologies/sciences, connect with mentors, and work on projects at their own pace.We also host optional events, such as guest speakers and workshops on topics ranging from mental health, time management, and machine learning. These are typically 1 hour. Overall, we've designed the program for the students. You can grow at your own pace, but at minimum attend the weekly sessions.

Is there financial aid available?

Yes, we believe that financial barriers should not impact a student's ability to access quality education. If your child is accepted, you will receive instructions on how to apply for financial aid. We've provided hundreds of students around the world with financial aid, which have helped them attend the program.Our financial aid fund is supported by sponsorships from partners like Walmart, Masason Foundation, IKEA, Microsoft, RBC, Shell, and others. As an organization, TKS also contributes a large portion to our financial aid fund. These funds are only provided to families that need financial support. These funds do not need to be repaid.Note: Distributions are limited to the fund size. The sooner your childapplies, the higher chances you have to receive support.

Have more questions? Visit our FAQ.

Immersive sessions accelerate your teen's growth

TKS was developed with CEOs and global leaders, modeled after curriculums from Stanford, Harvard, and MIT, and is designed to replicate the learning environment and culture of Silicon Valley.

Kickoff

Kick off TKS with a bang, meet the other students in your cohort and start to build new friendships. Learn what to expect from the program, get excited, and experience your first taste of the TKS community.

Week 1

Unconventional Thinking

Understand how you can have asymmetric impact on the world and why unconventional thinking is a necessary ingredient on your journey. "In order to achieve unconventional success, you must take an unconventional path." - Nadeem Nathoo, TKS Founder

Week 2

Next Big Thing

Collaborate in teams to research and present what you think the next big thing will be and why it will shift humanity's trajectory. "The best way to predict the future, is to create it." - Peter Drucker

Week 3

Artificial Intelligence

Create applications using artificial intelligence, while exploring the implications of this technology on the future. Learn how companies like OpenAI and DeepMind are shaping the future of work, art, education, and business.

Week 4

Blockchain

Have you heard of Cryptocurrency, NFTs, or DAOs? These are all built on blockchains. Learn how to create your own decentralized app (dApp), crypto project, or NFT, while understanding how blockchain can be applied to solve real problems.

Week 5

Life & Success

Engage in deep philosophical discussions about life. Critically analyze and discuss what success means to you versus what society defines it as, and how you can create your own path to success.

Week 6

Human Longevity

Scientific advancements are increasing human longevity in areas including cellular senescence, telomeres, regenerative medicine, immunology, and gene editing. Learn about these new areas while discussing the ethical implications of increasing lifespan.

Week 7

Explore Hackathon

Design solutions to important problems using the emerging technologies and sciences that you've been exposed to, and present your ideas to a panel of expert judges with background in areas like AI, synthetic biology and more.

Week 8

Brain-Computer Interfaces

Brainstorm new uses for BCIs that will shape our lifestyle in the coming decades. Companies like Neuralink, Kerel, and Neurable are bridging the gap between human brains and machines to solve neurological disorders and control prosthetic body parts.

Week 9

Real-World Challenge (1/3)

The best way to learn how to solve real-world problems is by working with a company on a challenge they're facing. In this session you'll choose between multiple challenges based on your interests and start researching a solution.

Week 10

Real-World Challenge (2/3)

Learn about mental models and problem-solving frameworks like First Principles Thinking and MECE Analysis to develop viable solutions that the company you're working with can implement. In the real world, there's no answers at the back of the textbook.

Week 11

Real-World Challenge (3/3)

Review your final recommendations and submit your proposal to the company. in the session, you'll do a post-mortem to reflect on your learnings from the challenge, transferrable skills you learned, and obstacles you faced.

Week 12

Global Community

In this highly engaging and fun session you'll meet like-minded TKS students from around the world. You'll also get a chance to learn more about the other TKS directors, their backgrounds, expertise, and personalities.

Week 13

Genetic Engineering

The new gene editing technology, CRISPR, has pushed the boundaries for scientific research and our ability to cure deadly diseases. Learn how we can apply gene editing and sequencing to cure cancer, malaria, and solve birth defects in babies before they're born.

Week 14

Quantum Computing

Discover the next wave of computing that is being powered by Quantum Computers, which use qubits and quantum gates to solve highly complex problems with large data sets that supercomputers are not able to solve.

Week 15

Metaverse

Virtual and augmented reality are creating new worlds for people to live in. In this session, collaborate with each other to brainstorm new opportunities that can exist in the Metaverse and design solutions to make it happen.

Week 16

Focus Hackathon

Work in teams to design solutions to some of the world’s most important problems using the intersection of multiple Focus areas - your chosen area of interest! Present your solutions to experts and get feedback on your ideas.

Week 17

Mental Models

To prepare for the Global Challenge, go deeper into mental models and apply them to problems like solving world hunger. This session provides you with a better understanding of advanced problem-solving frameworks.

Week 18

Harvard Business Case

Experience what it’s like going to Harvard Business School (HBS) by working on a Harvard Case. You’ll train advanced analytical skills and learn about how to solve business problems.

Week 19

Global Challenge (1/3)

You’ll work in teams to tackle global challenges, perform experiential research, and create a in-depth recommendations. Previously, students have worked with organizations like the United Nations, Airbnb, and Microsoft for the Global Challenge.

Week 20

Global Challenge (2/3)

Understanding problems is critical to solving them. You will learn how to deeply understand your challenge problem by doing stakeholder interviews and breaking down how to ask good questions to uncover valuable data.

Week 21

Global Challenge (3/3)

Learn how to give high quality feedback, then in groups provide feedback to other students on their recommendations. You will leave with clarity, action items to improve your recommendations, and goals you want to hit.

Week 22

Global Community

Reconnect with the TKS global community in this highly engaging and fun session. Engage with others from around the world in a collaborative post-mortem to reflect on learnings, struggles, best practices, and learnings from failures.

Week 23

World's Biggest Problems

Learn how you can impact billions by understanding the root causes behind some of the world's biggest problems, and using a root cause analysis framework to brainstorm potential approaches to solve them.

Week 24

World Hunger

Identify potential solutions to reduce world hunger using the WBP framework, which includes identifying root causes and weaknesses of the existing solutions to come up with a viable hypothesis.

Week 25

Moonshot Projects (1/4)

Get introduced to Moonshot thinking and how Google created a division, The Moonshot Factory, to build Moonshot Projects. Learn how to "Think 10x" to solve problems using emerging technologies in ways that haven't been done before.

Week 26

Moonshot Projects (2/4)

Analyze frameworks that innovative companies use to create disruptive technologies, including learning how to prioritize right problems, embracing failure, killing projects early, and iterating. Work on your projects in teams.

Week 27

Moonshot Projects (3/4)

This session is focused on developing a deep technical understanding of your Moonshot project. Identify the technical gap, find experts to connect with who can help you, and bridge the gap to transform your idea into a feasible solution.

Week 28

Moonshot Projects (4/4)

Work on your Moonshots in teams. In this session, you'll also learn how important company culture is from organizations like Google and SpaceX, and how culture is foundational to creating transformative innovation.

Week 29

Moonshot Presentations

Present your Moonshots to a panel of judges from some of the world's most innovative and disruptive companies. The judges will ask hard questions and give you feedback/advice if you plan on pursuing your idea.

Week 30

TKS Showcase

Showcase your projects and growth during the year-end TKS Showcase. Network with guests, which will include venture capital investors, CEOs, startup founders, executives, and TKS alumni.

Week 31

Self-Awareness

Reflect on the exponential growth you've experienced during TKS, and how that will enable you to accelerate your trajectory. You'll be asked deep questions that will make you reflect and have important insights.

Week 32

Global Alumni Event

Join the global TKS alumni community as an official alumni. Spark new friendships and networks with hundreds of other TKS alumni from around the world who are building companies, working at leading research labs, and attending top-tier universities.

Week 33

Summer Internships

Many students secure summer internships at companies. Apply the skills, knowledge, and mindsets you learned during TKS to the real-world and experience how innovative companies and startups operate.

Summer

Activate (Year 2)

The second year of TKS is heavily focused on global problems and applying the knowledge learned during the first year of TKS. Students must apply again and be accepted to join Activate.

Year 2

Session Schedule

Who runs the program?

This is the team that oversees the program and sessions. They mentor your child with 1-1 coaching and give you personalized feedback throughout the program. Our directors are talented individuals with real-world experiences.

Jennah Dohms

Jennah previously ran marketing in the startup world and non-profit space. She’s interested in building companies and teams that are optimized for high growth. Her students have gone on to speak on world stages, create supercapacitors and engineer solar panels out of bacteria.

Skylor Lane

Skylor is an educator turned entrepreneur with extensive experience in crypto, fintech, artificial intelligence, and venture capital. He grew the #1 Bitcoin exchange in Canada before being acquired in 2016. His research led to investments in Starkware, NuBank, Discord, and Scale AI. He’s invested alongside world-class firms including YCombinator, Sequoia, and Andreessen Horowitz.

Aatik Chopra

Aatik is a management consultant turned educator who has worked with an incredible variety of learners over the years, in terms of age, culture, and learning styles. He ran a national entrepreneurial learning program for Canada’s startup ecosystem and has coached many product-focused young professionals in cultivating a meaningful, fulfilling career. Aatik also has experience with Synthesis - an education division at SpaceX.

Mikaela Ergas-Lenett

Mikaela is a creative turned data wizard, with experience in data science and strategy, and an MS in Data Visualization from Parsons School of Design. She helped build and scale Kode with Klossy’s pilot data science program, one of the largest all-female programs in North America and was employee number one at New York based consultancy, Data Culture, helping organizations translate critical business challenges into scalable data solutions.

Andrés Velarde

Andrés has built a career designing and creating novel, tech hardware at the cutting edge of material science, neuroscience, nanotechnology, renewable energy and space. Andrés is passionate about advancing the future of education, especially for BIPOC learners everywhere. Most recently, he taught a course in Engineering Design at MIT and built a multi-million dollar analytical laboratory from scratch. His past collaborators include the National Institutes of Health, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and NASA.

Niloo Ravaei

Niloo is a filmmaker turned entrepreneur, with experience in fintech, blockchain, and scaling early-stage startups. She co-founded Hello Iris, which was backed by Techstars, was formerly the Head of Education at BlockGeeks, and worked closely with Michele Romanow from Dragon’s Den to turn her startup, Clearco, into a billion-dollar lending platform.

Steven Ritchie

Steven spent 10+ years helping founders build digital products. Joining as the fourth employee, he helped scale his last agency to 40+ team members and 9-figures in revenue before the company was acquired in 2021. Steven has led client projects worldwide, such as launching a digital insurance company in Barbados, a neo-bank in Dubai, and a cryptocurrency exchange in Canada.

Brandon Jennings

Brandon has worked at McKinsey, SpaceX, Raytheon, Li & Fung, and the US Army R&D center. He was an early employee at Bowery Farming, the world’s leading vertical farming company, where he helped to design food systems of the future. He earned his MBA from MIT Sloan, his MS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and his BSE in Mechanical Engineering from Penn.

Pranav Menon

Pranav is an Engineer turned startup enthusiast whose career began in product roles for medtech and manufacturing companies. He then worked in startup consulting, where he worked with over 100+ founders to solve critical world problems within wildfire prevention, water treatment for remote communities and mental health support.

Steven ten Holder

Steven founded Acorn Biolabs, a bioengineering startup accelerated by Y-Combinator, incubated by Johnson&Johnson’s JLABS, and funded by over $3.3M of venture investment. Acorn non-invasively collects, transports, and cryopreserves young cells directly from consumers to help superpower future longevity therapeutics like 3D bioprinting. His students have gone on to start companies that have raised $250K, and build biology projects that have been accepted into University labs.

Meet the team

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Where the program takes place

TKS runs in-person programs in several cities, as well as a global virtual program:

Austin

Calgary

New York

Seattle

Toronto

Vancouver

Virtual Program

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