News Highlights
We don’t only report the news, we make the news. Our news highlights and archive here.
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Fullpower-AI: Empowering Health Through Digital Twins
Fullpower-AI leads the digital twin revolution in health, using real-time biosensing and smart sleep systems to transform raw data into actionable insights—optimizing rest, recovery, and daily performance while expanding globally from its Santa Cruz base.
Join Countywide High School Robotics Club Open Houses — Register Now!
The Santa Cruz COE and X Academy are excited to invite your students to their 2025–26 Robotics Club Open Houses.
Santa Cruz Startup Treeswax Featured in SURFER Magazine
Santa Cruz’s Treeswax was featured on Surfer.com
MYNT Named to the Inc. 5000 – Building the Future of Energy
Congratulations to MYNT for ranking #2344 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 with 174% growth—#72 in the Pacific—proving purpose-driven, sustainable business can scale successfully.
Women in Venture Capital Initiative to Host Networking and Panel Event at CSUMB
The Women in Venture Capital Initiative will host its semi-annual networking and panel discussion event on September 16, 2025, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
UC Santa Cruz Uses AI to Spot Explosive Stellar Death by Black Hole
Machine learning enables real-time detection of fleeting anomalies before they fade away.
When Science Meets Politics: CZI’s Ambition and Its UCSC Blind Spot
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative promised bold change—curing disease, advancing equity, reshaping education. But amid Trump’s return and high-stakes politics, insiders say its mission wavers. Even UCSC, the university that unlocked the human genome, remains sidelined. Credibility—not cash—may prove CZI’s greatest test.
Onda Sports: Personalizing the Surf Experience
Onda, founded by Quincy Carroll, launched August 1, 2025, in Santa Cruz, blending AI-powered forecasts, surf session logging, and community chat to help surfers from Marin to Monterey optimize every wave and connect through shared local knowledge.
Fullpower-AI Accelerates Global Footprint — Seeks Local Sales Leaders to Drive the Next Frontier in Smart Sleep
Fullpower-AI, led by tech legend Philippe Kahn, secured $25M and a 10-year Tempur Sealy deal. Now hiring local sales pros—skip the commute, work in Santa Cruz, and help shape the future of AI-powered sleep.
StreetFront to StoreFront: Salinas Launches Pilot Program to Boost Downtown Business Growth
The City of Salinas is rolling out StreetFront to StoreFront, a pop-up pilot program designed to help local entrepreneurs take the next step in growing their businesses.
UC Santa Cruz to Host Global Physics Conference
From August 18–23, 2025, UC Santa Cruz will host SUSY 2025, the International Conference on Supersymmetry and Unification of Fundamental Interactions.
Joby Achieves the First Piloted eVTOL Air Taxi Flight Between Two Public Airports
Joby Aviation achieves first piloted eVTOL flight between two public airports.
Murray Street Bridge Emergency
The prolonged Murray Street Bridge closure has crippled Seabright businesses, cutting traffic and sales. A petition led by La Posta’s Patrice Boyle urges opening the unused rail bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, restoring neighborhood connections and stabilizing the local economy.
UCSC Patented Fuels Future Power
Patriot Sustainable Fuels offers a scalable, agile, and distributed energy model, with a patented process born at UC Santa Cruz.
Climatize Surpasses $10 Million Investment Milestone
Climatize hit a major milestone: $𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 invested through Climatize.
From Ashes to Action: How a Santa Cruz Native is Fighting Wildfire with Tech
After losing friends’ homes in the CZU Fires, Santa Cruz native Jake Haselden built AirMetrix.io, a wildfire detection and prevention platform using aerial imagery, IoT sensors, and AI—helping communities act before flames spread, protecting lives, property, and the environment.
UCSC Student Founders Invited to Pitch for $10,000 in Ocean Exchange Collegiate Awards
Ocean Exchange's 2025 Collegiate Call for Solutions is still open. Three non-dilutive awards of $10,000 each will go to student-led solutions that drive ocean and coastal resiliency.
Paystand & Digital NEST: Student Bitcoin Financial Literacy Program
Paystand and Digital NEST launched Santa Cruz County’s first Bitcoin-focused financial literacy course for youth.
Fullpower: Camera Phones to Smart Beds
From Santa Cruz, Philippe Kahn’s Fullpower-AI just inked a 10-year deal with Tempur Sealy and doubled down on “Sleep AI.” Your bed won’t just hold you—it will know you, mapping your nights like telescopes map the cosmos.
Chillshark: From the Santa Cruz Shoreline to the NBA
For longtime Santa Cruz residents, cold ocean plunges aren’t a trend—they’re tradition. A bracing swim in the Pacific has long been embraced for its energizing, restorative effects. Now, a startup is working to bring the experience inland—with data, hardware, and clinical rigor.