CruzHacks 2026 marks the 11th year of the Central Coast’s largest hackathon: three days, two nights, and enough Red Bull to power social-good projects across justice, sustainability, education, and health. Doug Erickson steps down afterward to build a community-wide hackathon.

Joby Aviation is ramping up U.S. manufacturing with the purchase of a massive Dayton, Ohio, facility as it works to scale production of its electric air taxis and push toward commercial flight.

The Innovation & Business Engagement Hub will be offering an NSF I-Corps workshop series beginning February 23 which will focus on training teams advancing university innovations or working on translational and use-inspired research projects.

Join us January 10-11 at Frontier Tower SF for the E.S.I. x Korea Investments AI Agents + MCP Hackathon. Build agent systems, hardware, and growth tools in two days, demo live, compete for $6,000, and meet the student founder behind E.S.I., Iman Yael Schaefer.

The City of Santa Cruz is seeking community members to play a direct role in local government by applying for various boards, commissions, and committees.

Major Pebble Beach golf events in 2026-2027 are expected to boost Monterey County’s economy by driving visitor spending, supporting local jobs and strengthening long-term tourism growth.

Joby Aviation has accepted its first high-fidelity flight simulator in Marina, CA, a major milestone in its partnership with CAE to train up to 250 pilots annually ahead of planned commercial air taxi launches this year.

CEO Works Luncheon opens the year with Relational Intelligence, arguing that as remote work and AI accelerate, the real edge is human: trust, communication, and belonging. Hospitality leader Steve Fortunato shares The Host Mindset to build engagement, productivity, and culture.

Steve Fortunato left the Santa Cruz Mountains bussing tables and returned decades later as a proven hospitality founder. He built roomforty, The Fighouse, and more through “virtuous hospitality,” wrote a praised book on generosity, and is now creating an intimate mountain dining experience.

Santa Cruz Works revisits its early-2025 “Startups to Watch” picks and shows what happened next: real wins in capital, contracts, deployments, and validation, plus one necessary pivot. The lesson: ecosystems endure when traction is measurable, not just pitch-perfect.

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.