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

INNOVATION NEWS

We don’t only report the news, we make the news. Check out our news highlights and archive here.

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

Interested in getting 10,000+ eyeballs to view your company’s content? Become a Santa Cruz Works Partner or, see 3rd party content Sponsors.

Malina Long 7/22/26 Malina Long 7/22/26

New Member Perk: Save on Coworking at NextSpace Santa Cruz‍ ‍

Santa Cruz Works members get to save even more on coworking with an exclusive discount from Nextspace!

Malina Long 7/7/26 Malina Long 7/7/26

Santa Cruz Works Members Get Additional $3.2M in Perks

Santa Cruz Works members now get access to $3.2M+ in additional startup perks through Startup Science, adding 45+ vendor discounts on top of SCW’s existing $1M+ member benefits.

Neil Erickson 3/12/26 Neil Erickson 3/12/26

Santa Cruz Works Members and Partners Now Get Access to Over $1 Million in Perks Through One Valley Passport

Santa Cruz Works members and partners now get access to more than $1 million in discounts, credits, subscriptions, and special offers through One Valley Passport. Explore the perks, sign up, or log in to start using the program.

Malina Long 2/11/26 Malina Long 2/11/26

PassportOS Platform To Shut Down

PassportOS which housed Santa Cruz Works community platform, is shutting down.

August 11, 2026

From Berlin to the Grid: How Community Helped Maxwell Philp Find Heron Power

After a global career spanning Stanford, Plug and Play, and Europe’s's EV charging industry, Maxwell Philp moved home to Santa Cruz and found his next role not online, but in a room full of neighbors.

Two Years In, Santa Cruz Game Devs Are Doing the Most Important Thing: Playtesting

Tyler Coleman's Santa Cruz Game Dev Meetup celebrated its second anniversary at Nextspace with five playable local games and a packed room that included many first-time attendees.

August 6, 2026

3DE Club’s Kids Activity & Entrepreneurship Showcase at Abbott Square was a Huge Success

More than a dozen local educators, artists, nonprofits, and innovation leaders united to inspire children and families through hands-on experiences in art, music, dance, theatre, technology, and entrepreneurship.

SwellCycle's Delivers Board to Surf Legend Kai Lenny

SwellCycle just proved a plant-based, 3D-printed board can hold up to one of the most demanding riders in surfing, Kai Lenny.

Joby Aviation Establishes Hub at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport

Joby Aviation touches down in Texas with a new 45,000 sq ft hub at Fort Worth's Perot Field.

Craig Vachon Drops Two Books in Two Weeks Because Pacing Is for Other People

Santa Cruz's entrepreneur-investor-author just released Experts Remain Divided, an AI novella narrated by a sixteen-year-old prodigy in short, devastating sentences, one week after publishing Book 2. Chronology matters. Warning: SCWorks attempts to mimic Vachon's’ writing style of clipped, telegraphic fragments; similar to Joyce and Vonnegut, but no one is as funny as Vachon.

A New Calendar and More for Santa Cruz Works

Santa Cruz Works has launched a redesigned website featuring a new community events calendar, clearer membership pages, expanded talent resources and updated member perks.

Only 18% of Homes Lost in the CZU Fire Have Been Rebuilt. Why?

More than five years after the CZU Fire, only 18% of the homes destroyed have been rebuilt. This article examines the county’s early promises, the barriers that slowed recovery, and what the process reveals about housing, permitting and disaster response in Santa Cruz County.