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

INNOVATION NEWS

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Malina Long 4/30/25 Malina Long 4/30/25

Free Summer CyberCamps Return for Teens in Santa Cruz County

Do you have a teenager who is interested in cybersecurity? There’s a free CyberCamp happening this summer for 8-12 grade students.

Malina Long 11/11/24 Malina Long 11/11/24

Join The Computer Science Playground Community Nights – Volunteers Needed!

Computer Science Playground Community Nights are back! Volunteer or come with your TK-12 child.

Malina Long 10/24/24 Malina Long 10/24/24

Free Technology and Innovation Program For Youth

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education is proud to announce the Youth Empowerment through Technology and Innovation program.

Malina Long 8/12/24 Malina Long 8/12/24

Santa Cruz COE Builds Student AgTech Robotics Program with Farm-NG

Santa Cruz County Office of Education builds student AgTech Robotics program with Farm-NG.

Malina Long 6/26/24 Malina Long 6/26/24

High School Robotics Team Takes Third Place at World Championship

Santa Cruz COE X Academy Robotics Clubs shine in first year of partnership.

Malina Long 10/25/23 Malina Long 10/25/23

Robotics Clubs Make a Splash in Watsonville and Santa Cruz!

Robotics Clubs make a splash in Watsonville and Santa Cruz!

Malina Long 10/19/23 Malina Long 10/19/23

Share Your Love for Computer Science!

Love computer science? Come volunteer for CS Education Week!

Malina Long 1/16/23 Malina Long 1/16/23

Santa Cruz County Office of Education to Seeking Judges for STEAM Expo

Santa Cruz County Office of Education is moving from a traditional science fair model to a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) EXPO in order to advance equitable access to inquiry-based learning.

Malina Long 10/3/22 Malina Long 10/3/22

ShiftED: Santa Cruz COE and CDE launch digital literacy project

Learn about, ShiftED, a new digital literacy initiative in partnership between the Santa Cruz COE and the California Department of Education.

Malina Long 8/23/22 Malina Long 8/23/22

Partners sought for new Santa Cruz County STEAM Expo

SCCOE is looking for partners for the new Santa Cruz County STEAM Expo.

Malina Long 7/28/22 Malina Long 7/28/22

2 Weeks Remain for Santa Cruz County Schools Supply Donation Drive

If you’re interested in supporting youth in Santa Cruz County, make sure to donate to the Stuff the Bus!

Doug Erickson 5/18/22 Doug Erickson 5/18/22

gotSummer? getCyber!

Santa Cruz County high school and community college students are invited to join our annual Bay Cyber Summer CyberCamps.

Malina Long 4/27/22 Malina Long 4/27/22

SCCOE Receives California Green Award

California Department of Education award recognizes the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s environmental education and efficiency.

Malina Long 3/2/22 Malina Long 3/2/22

Santa Cruz County Science and Engineering Fair In Need of Judges

The Santa Cruz County Science and Engineering Fair is in need of judges.

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.