PayStand is not the only fintech startup in the Monterey Bay area. But B2B platforms like PayStand are a rarity – collectors’ items for any local economy.

Discussions about artificial intelligence tend to the extremes: AI is either going to transform life as we know it for the better, or else, as my brother in-law is convinced, we’re engineering robots that will destroy us.

Marilyn Walker, a Professor of Computer Science at UC Santa Cruz and a fellow of the Association for Computational Linguistics, isn’t terribly worried. The way she sees it, we have a long way to go before anything dystopian is even a consideration.

Keri Waters, CEO and co-founder of Buoy Labs, Inc. believes that long showers and water conservation aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, long showers were the inspiration for creating Buoy—well, that and California’s water crisis. In case you didn’t hear all the buzz after this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Buoy is a smart home water device that helps you track your water use, detect leaks, and ultimately save water without forgoing showers, pools, or even a lush, green lawn.  

We asked Waters to give us her take on water conservation, Santa Cruz tech, and why she’s good friends with Inboard founder Ryan Evans yet doesn’t ride an electric skateboard to work.   

Social media is an essential business tool. Whether you love it, hate it, are good at it, or terrible at it, social media is a powerful way to strengthen your brand and connect directly with customers.

By Molly Ressler

A retired ultimate frisbee jersey hangs from the wall in Nicole Beck’s office on Seabright Avenue. She won nationals, not once, but eight times in her athletic career and is one of two women in the USA Ultimate Hall of Fame. Although Beck no longer plays competitive ultimate frisbee, the biogeochemist runs her water quality management consultancy, 2NDNATURE, like a team.