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

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NOTE: Our blogs are typically “assisted by AI”. We use AI to assist us in research and style the way a human editor would.

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Doug & Claude 10/28/26 Doug & Claude 10/28/26

Why Santa Cruz County Is Winning the Road-Trip Economy

Santa Cruz County hotels just posted their strongest gains in years. High fuel costs are steering travelers toward drivable destinations, and bets on AI trip planning and autism-forward hospitality are helping the county win them

Malina Long 6/29/23 Malina Long 6/29/23

2023 Santa Cruz County State of the Workforce Report Released

2023 Santa Cruz County State of the Workforce Report has been released. Learn where the County stands, what has changed, and much more.

November 9, 2026

Santa Cruz Mints Its Fourth Unicorn: argenx to Acquire Unnatural Products for Up to $1.15 Billion

A garage-born UCSC spinout just became Santa Cruz’s fourth billion-dollar company. argenx will acquire Unnatural Products, keeping its team and lab right here as argenx’s macrocycle discovery hub.

November 2026 New Tech Photos

Our 198th New Tech Meetup delivered. Mixt & Company served up fresh catering, ElevationXR unveiled immersive domes, Farmblox showed farm automation, g-SPACE turned off gravity, Printed Living built fire-resistant homes, and Scale AI revealed how AI agents’ requests for help can be exploited.

November 5, 2026

CEO Works Luncheon Recap: UX Research on a Startup Budget

How to answer the right questions at each stage of product development, affordably and at the pace of AI.

November 4, 2026

MBEP's 2026 State of the Region: What's Next for the Monterey Bay

Economy, housing, drones, and the 2026 election aftermath top the agenda at MBEP's State of the Region on November 6 at CSUMB. SCW Partners and Members save $30 with code SCWM26.

A Santa Cruz Teen Wants to Make Shopping Local Easier

Santa Cruz native Noah Mitnick, 19, is developing a new shopping app that could make it easier for residents to support local businesses without sacrificing the convenience of online shopping.

Calorify Acquired by Maurten

Calorify, the startup that brought gold-standard metabolism testing out of the lab, has been acquired by Swedish sports fuel maker Maurten.

Joby Expands Autonomous Flight Contracts with U.S. Air Force to Nearly $37 Million

Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation lands nearly $37 million in Air Force autonomy funding after completing the first autonomous flight across the U.S.

Downtown Pops! Accepting Applications for Former Logos Space

Downtown Pops! is the City's program designed to lower the barriers to entry for businesses looking to open a brick and mortar space.

November 3, 2026

Submissions Are Open for the Santa Cruz Works 2026 Holiday Gift Guide!

Local makers, it's your turn to shine: submit your product for our 2026 Holiday Gift Guide by midnight, Monday, November 23.