LaunchPad 2026 Spotlighted the Next Generation of Student Founders
College and high school teams brought startup ideas to life across health tech, AI, social impact, civic tools, accessibility, finance, and more.
(Article on the Job Fair coming Next Week!)
Yesterday, Santa Cruz Works brought students, employers, founders, and community members together for LaunchPad 2026, a full-day gathering built around local talent, startup energy, and real career connections.
The job fair gave students and job seekers a chance to meet hiring companies face-to-face. But alongside that, the startup showcase gave student founders a different kind of opportunity: the chance to pitch what they are building, get feedback, and compete for funding.
This year’s selected startups were all led by college and high school students, with ideas ranging from AI-powered legal support and civic data tools to wheelchair accessories, health apps, financial education, and rehabilitation hardware.
2026 LaunchPad Winners
BadHealth won the Biotech/Health Award and $5,000 for its mobile app that lets users take a photo of their fridge and receive meal recommendations based on their health goals. The idea is simple and useful: help people make better food decisions with what they already have at home.
CherryWheels won the Social Impact Award and $5,000 for its expressive designer wheel covers for wheelchair users. The startup turns mobility equipment into something more personal, stylish, and confidence-building.
Standby earned 1st Place Technology and $5,000 for its AI-powered voice agents for incarcerated individuals. The platform is designed to provide legal information, bail support, and reentry assessments while helping modernize data collection for reentry organizations.
Symphony received 2nd Place Technology and $2,000 for its platform that helps coordinate developer teams, tasks, agents, and workflows. As AI becomes more embedded in software development, Symphony is focused on helping teams stay organized and move faster.
Dream Builders won the High School Award and $2,000, highlighting the strength of the younger founder teams represented at this year’s competition.
People’s Choice Winners
Two teams earned People’s Choice Awards, each receiving $1,000.
Fashion Fit is building a phone-based fit engine that helps shoppers find clothing that actually fits. The team is tackling one of online shopping’s most familiar problems: sizing uncertainty and returns.
Kharros turns product performance into trusted evidence for faster government decisions. The startup is focused on helping public-sector buyers evaluate products based on real performance data.
Runner-Up Teams
Nine teams also received Runner-Up Awards, each earning $500.
The first three runner-up awards went to high school teams, showing how early students are beginning to build serious, thoughtful startup ideas.
Trillium Finance is helping young people become market-ready before they risk real money. The team is focused on financial education and building confidence for the next generation of investors.
N.O.D.U.S. Exoskeletons is developing mechanical orthotic skeletons for physical rehabilitation patients. The high school team brought an ambitious hardware concept aimed at helping people recover mobility and strength.
Eldearth – EMPAH is building community gardens in elderly communities to support health, connection, and a stronger relationship with the earth.
AirCheck! pitched the idea of an “Alexa for the aircraft cockpit,” bringing voice-powered support into aviation environments where fast, clear information matters.
CityScope is building an AI platform that aggregates fragmented city data, detects anomalies, and makes local government information easier to access.
An Apple A Day is creating software that unifies wearable health data for elderly users, helping make that information more useful for families, caregivers, and patients.
Local Fit is using regional crowd data to help identify products and markets, supporting customer discovery and organizer management.
Nalanda is a multi-faith scriptural app with AI-powered search, audiobooks, short-form video, and a modern mobile backend.
Ethera also earned runner-up recognition, rounding out a strong field of student teams representing a wide range of industries and ideas.
Student-Built Tools Supporting Student Founders
This year, the judging process was supported by Hillpost, a platform developed by UCSC students Cyrus Correll and Morris Rickman.
Cyrus and Morris are independent software developers focused on building open-source judging systems designed to better support builders, innovators, and entrepreneurial communities.
It was a fitting addition to LaunchPad: student-built software helping support a student founder competition.
Why It Matters
LaunchPad gives student founders a practical place to test their ideas in public. They get to explain what they are building, hear questions from judges and attendees, meet potential supporters, and see how their ideas land outside the classroom.
For employers and community members, it is also a useful look at the talent pipeline forming across Santa Cruz County. These students are not just looking for jobs someday. Many are already building products, testing markets, and learning how to turn ideas into something real.
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