Santa Cruz County’s 2026 watch list marks a shift from invention to execution. These companies are scaling with real organizational maturity, durable advantages, and clear catalysts, while staying anchored locally. From aviation and fintech to climate systems and biotech delivery, Santa Cruz is proving it can build globally and keep value here.

2025 was an amazing year full of new and annual events. Here are our most attended!

Ventana’s SwellCycle 6'6" Downrail rethinks the standard petrochemical surfboard with a plant-based, 3D-printed core and reclaimed wood deck. Built in Santa Cruz with eco-minded materials, it aims to blend modern performance, durability, and smooth, soulful turns without feeling like an oil refinery’s side project.

Santa Cruz County’s 2025 innovation story had one theme: scale. Joby advanced toward manufacturing expansion and vertiport development. Climate companies hit commercialization milestones, from carbon-to-fuels to EV charging and ocean analytics. UCSC genomics became more publicly translational. Santa Cruz Ventures, infrastructure progress, and paid internships strengthened the enabling layer.

SCWorks members strongly supported the RTC’s Interim Trail decision. In the no-email survey, 85.6% voted yes and 14.4% no. With email required, support rose to 95.9% yes and 4.1% no overall, showing consistent member backing.

Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) announced a partnership with Metropolis Technologies, Inc., a leader in applied AI for the real world, to develop 25 vertiports across the United States utilizing Metropolis’ extensive network of parking locations.

Santa Cruz Ventures expanded beyond early-stage investing to include select mid-to-late stage deals, reflecting rising Central Coast company maturity. It added Portfolio Company #7, a newly minted unicorn (name forthcoming), and #8, AIO’s $17M Series A, as its inaugural fund nears completion.

Drawing from personal experience as a UCSC literature major, we can examine how AI tools are reshaping education.

Joby announces plans to increase production activity in its California and Ohio facilities.

Santa Cruz startup BrandCapsule, founded by entrepreneur and Stanford lecturer Toby Corey, tackles a growing AI blind spot: models can’t reliably recognize legitimate brands.

Santa Cruz Accelerates program graduate, Climatize, announced its acceptance into the highly selective Plug and Play Tech Center Sustainability Accelerator.

David Deamer and David Haussler have received the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors.

Force4 capped 2025 with major wins in AI, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and GEO search, elevating clients and strengthening Santa Cruz’s innovation ecosystem while positioning itself for even greater impact in 2026.

Newsworthy.ai’s new NewsCrafters.com blends AI and human editors to transform press releases into search-friendly articles, bridging paid PR and earned media while helping brands, agencies, and experts build topic authority, visibility, and long-term organic reach.

Build, hack, and show off at PAI Palooza—three days of workshops, demos, and a community-powered hackathon exploring Personal AI. Learn the tools, prototype fast, and pitch your wildest AI creations.

Samantha Solis’s petition urges Watsonville officials to reconsider zoning enforcement practices that vendors say undermine their businesses and threaten their ability to operate legally.

A look at how the AHSC interns are transforming local organizations through fresh skills, digital innovation, and meaningful contributions that strengthen employer capacity.

UCSC Alumni founded company, Confluent, has been acquired by tech giant IBM.

Tony J. Hughes’s Sentient – Meet Your Maker arrives at a moment when society is collectively renegotiating its relationship with artificial intelligence. The book is a speculative psychological thriller, but to treat it as merely fiction would miss its deeper contribution.

The 6th cohort of the Cabrillo College IT Institute begins January 23, 2026. The IT Institute is an 11-week, fast-paced training program designed to prepare individuals for entry-level roles in Information Technology.