INNOVATION NEWS
Check out our news highlights and archive here.
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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Building Belonging: Four Highlights From Cabrillo's Fall 2026 Semester Kickoff
Cabrillo College's fall semester opened with a burst of momentum, from new collaborative student support spaces to the leasing launch of Costa Vista, its groundbreaking student housing project with UC Santa Cruz.
GOODLES Just Beat Barilla at Its Own Game — And Barilla Had to Buy It to Find Out
A Santa Cruz mac-and-cheese startup just got acquired by a 149-year-old Italian pasta giant. The real story isn't the deal, it's what it says about legacy brands, category disruption, and why $88 million buys you something money can't build.
High School Robotics Club Open Houses — Students & Mentors Wanted!
The High School Robotics Club is opening their doors! Students, mentors, and innovators are invited to explore hands-on robotics, meet local teams, discover opportunities, and learn how to get involved.
Winner Announced: Ocean Film Festival Ticket Giveaway
The winner of the Ocean Film Festival World Tour ticket giveaway has been announced!
Win a SUP Shack Rental for Two People!
To celebrate SUP Shack's team-building experiences, we're giving away a SUP rental for two people at the Santa Cruz Harbor. Enter through Santa Cruz Works for your chance to win and experience a little of the SUP Shack adventure for yourself.
Startup World Cup Comes to Santa Cruz October 17
Santa Cruz Works is proud to sponsor Startup World Cup Santa Cruz Regional, landing at The Catalyst on October 17, 2026. Startups will pitch for a shot at $1M. Full details drop on September 9 at the Santa Cruz Works New Tech.
Monterey Bay Explorers Internship Opens Applications
Sanctuary Exploration Center seeks interns to bring marine science to Pajaro Valley classrooms.
Climatize Crosses $20 Million in Clean Energy Investments
Former SCW Accelerates graduate, Climatize, passes $20 million in clean energy investments.
Women in Venture Capital To Host Evening Panel Event in Santa Cruz
A panel of women leaders in VC, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and finance will gather in Santa Cruz to talk innovation and opportunity.
UC Santa Cruz Opens Applications for NSF I-Corps Short Course This Fall
Do you think you have the next big idea? NSF iCorps can help give you the tools to figure it out!
Young Entrepreneurs Get Behind-the-Scenes Look at Specialized
Students explored how ideas become world-class products, toured decades of bicycle innovation, experienced Specialized’s renowned “Win” Tunnel, and recorded a student-led podcast with Ben Capron, Leader of Brand Voice at Specialized.
Measure D and the Blue Wall’s Coastal Protections
Measure D, on Santa Cruz County's November ballot, would extend 1986's voter-approval requirement for onshore oil and gas facilities to cover seabed mining too — locking in local control before federal leasing opens central coast waters to drilling and mineral extraction as soon as next year.
CarbonBridge's DGF-100 Graduates from Lab Curiosity to Production Reality
CarbonBridge's direct-gas bioreactor now runs with automated self-diagnostics, earns an intern's stamp of approval, and heads toward NRTL certification at a customer site: proof that hardware, not just chemistry, is maturing fast.
The Bulk Bin Gets a Reboot — Purcell Live at New Tech, Sept 9
Purcell is redesigning the bulk food aisle with a sanitary, low-waste dispenser built to replace leaky gravity bins and single-use packaging, and the Santa Cruz Works accelerator graduate will present the M1 live at SCWorks New Tech on September 9.
What Does a Joby Aircraft Actually Sound Like?
Ever wondered what a Joby aircraft sounds like? Their new simulator lets you compare the noise to an airplane or helicopter.
Where Art Meets Engineering: Visual Endeavors' Aron Altmark at Santa Cruz New Tech
Where art meets engineering: the Santa Cruz studio behind The Sphere, Green Day, and Louvre Paris joins us for New Tech on Sept 9.
Win Tickets To The Ocean Film Festival World Tour in Santa Cruz
The Ocean Film Festival World Tour splashes down at the Rio Theatre on September 4th, kicking off a season of big screen adventure at the Rio that continues with Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival in October and Mountainfilm on Tour in November.
Reservoir Farms Announces $10M Multi-Year R&D Partnership with John Deere
John Deere and Reservoir just struck a deal to help agtech startups test their tech with no strings attached.
The Question Nobody in AI Wants to Ask
Forty years in tech, some of it alongside John Sculley and David Hancock, taught me one pattern: computing always migrates from the rented mainframe to the desk you own. Free frontier models, memory-rich Macs, and a $69 cable are repeating it now. The AI scoreboard is wrong. Apple is quietly winning.
SCWorks New Tech Returns Sept 9, 2026
Join us for an evening of innovation as Santa Cruz-area entrepreneurs share what they're building, from elevated transit systems to sustainable retail hardware to game design and immersive experiences.

