Santa Cruz Works News — Updates on Events, Community Stories & Local Innovation

INNOVATION NEWS

Check out our news highlights and archive here.

NOTE: Our blogs are typically “assisted by AI”. We use AI to assist us in research and style.

Not on our mailing list yet? Subscribe to our newsletter!

Interested in getting 10,000+ eyeballs to view your company’s content?

Become a Santa Cruz Works Partner or, see 3rd party content Sponsors.

Guest User 3/21/24 Guest User 3/21/24

Paystand Named Winner of Fintech Breakthrough Award for DeFi Innovation

Paystand, the global leader in blockchain-enabled B2B payments, today announced it has won the DeFi Innovation category in the 2024 Fintech Breakthrough Awards. More than 4000 fintech nominations were submitted for this competition.

Doug Erickson 8/31/22 Doug Erickson 8/31/22

Interview with Jeremy Almond of Paystand

One of the fastest growing and successful companies in Santa Cruz is Paystand. CEO & Founder Jeremy Almond gives secrets to his success.

Guest User 3/30/22 Guest User 3/30/22

Paystand Delivers First Business Expense Card With Rewards Paid Out Exclusively in Cryptocurrency

Paystand – the leader in blockchain-enabled B2B payments – today introduced the first business expense card with native crypto rewards.

Doug Erickson 5/12/21 Doug Erickson 5/12/21

Paystand at Get Hired 2021

Paystand will offer more than 50 jobs at 2021 Get Hired on June 2. This article gives readers a glimpse of the company, the culture, and the many opportunities for every skill set.

September 10, 2026

SCWorks New Tech Photos

Thank you to River Row for allowing us to host our New Tech event at their space, and to the six presenters who shared what they're building right here in Santa Cruz! View the photos.

The Ducks of Santa Cruz

A Dutch database, an Amazon acquisition, and a surf town's most improbable export: how Looker's alumni quietly built the strange, tangled, occasionally hilarious family tree behind DuckDB and MotherDuck.

Investment Advice in Troubling Times

Thomas Wynn from Wynn Capital Management, gives his investing advice during a time of uncertainty and all time highs in the markets.

Paystand Rolls Out AI Agents to Automate Finance Teams' Busywork

Santa Cruz-based Paystand launches AI agents that take on accounts receivable, spend management, and reporting for finance teams.

Joby Aviation Kicks Off Texas Flight Campaign as Autonomous Aircraft Crosses the Country

Joby Aviation is running two demonstrations at once this week: electric air taxi flights across Dallas-Fort Worth and a coast-to-coast tour of its autonomous J208 cargo aircraft.

September 9, 2026

Betting Big on AI: Lessons from Omni's 10x Scale-Up

How a scrappy team of ex-Lookers turned Santa Cruz roots into a $1.5B AI-powered data company, and what they learned along the way.

A Different Pace in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Reggiardo Ranch invites Santa Cruz’s tech community to trade constant connection for redwoods, good food, and a slower pace.

September 8, 2026

Santa Cruz HardTech Launches to Support the County's Physical Builders

A new SBDC-backed initiative, Santa Cruz HardTech, is organizing the county's hardware, robotics, biotech, and clean energy founders — offering free advising, capital guidance, and a monthly meetup at Idea Fab Labs.

Westly Prize Now Accepting Applications for 2027

The Westly Prize is an annual award from the Westly Foundation for young social innovators in CA that gives out up to $145,000 total, including three $40,000 Grand Prizes, as unrestricted funding to early-stage founders tackling social challenges in areas like AI, education, health, environment, and youth development.