Joby Aviation reported major Q1 2025 milestones, including record certification progress, pilot-on-board flights, a UK partnership with Virgin Atlantic, and strong financials. The company also named Rodrigo Brumana as CFO and advanced production at its Marina, CA facility.

Santa Cruz Launchpad 2025 brings together Santa Cruz’s brightest startups and talent for a dynamic pitch competition and job fair at the Cocoanut Grove on May 21—where innovation meets opportunity, and the future is built on local ideas.

At Blue Innovation Day, a chance meeting between Soren Larsen and CarbonBridge sparked a groundbreaking AI partnership. What began as a casual conversation became a capstone project connecting UCSC NLP students with climate tech innovation — a perfect example of how Santa Cruz Works events transform networking into real-world impact.

Reservoir has launched Reservoir Farms, the world’s first AgTech robotics incubator on a working farm. Located in Salinas Valley, it offers startups a real-world environment to solve real-world challenges in specialty crops at the heart of one of the world’s most important agricultural regions.

UC Santa Cruz’s 2024 Chancellor’s Innovation Impact Awards celebrate groundbreaking research and community-driven change. From sustainable AI to youth empowerment and personalized medicine, these honorees exemplify innovation with purpose. Watch their inspiring stories—and remember, in 2022, Santa Cruz Works proudly received the Community Changemaker Award for Transformative Impact.

How do you know when to pivot your business and go from catching the small fish to the bigger ones?

Are you a team with a groundbreaking technology-based idea or engaged in translational and use-inspired research? The Innovation & Business Engagement Hub is excited to announce an upcoming I-Corps workshop series designed to propel your innovations forward!

Santa Cruz entrepreneur David Schwartz built ABI MasterMind, the backstage brain behind 825+ stadiums and arenas. While others chased Silicon Valley fame, he stayed local — quietly transforming event chaos into order. ABI runs the show so fans can enjoy it. Innovation, it turns out, thrives best where the surf breaks.

In this powerful CEO Works March 2025 session, Steven Cardinale presents Synaptic Alchemy, a framework for transforming ideas into impact by blending ancient alchemy with modern innovation. Through three phases—Destruction, Creation, and Standardization—Cardinale shows how to unlock creative potential and scale meaningful change.

After multiple fires at Moss Landing, California’s grid faces renewed urgency to upgrade energy storage. In 2024, the state wasted 2.9 million MWh of clean energy—enough to power over 300,000 homes. Safer, smarter battery tech is now available. The question is: should we rebuild Moss Landing to lead again?

Do you have a teenager who is interested in cybersecurity? There’s a free CyberCamp happening this summer for 8-12 grade students.

Andrew O'Keefe produced a stunning video capturing the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and Blue Innovation Day.

Are you interested in tabling at Santa Cruz Launchpad to talk about your open positions? Sign up by May 6.

PVUSD students are invited to collaborate, innovate, and tackle real-world challenges through the lens of technology, design, and creativity.

Joby announces its biggest achievement yet…they’ve successfully completed multiple flights with a pilot onboard.

Wonderfil CEO, Amelia Eichel has co-authored a new children's book "Journey to Away" to inspire young readers to explore waste.

April is Earth Month—a time not just for reflection, but for action. In Santa Cruz County, this isn't a seasonal gesture. It's a year-round commitment to environmental stewardship, led by a coalition of scientists, activists, and innovators.​

Join biotech professionals, researchers, and students at the upcoming QB3 Biotech Mixer on Sunday, May 18, 2025, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz.

The Volunteer Center is facing dire funding shortfall and needs your support.

Remember the Santa Cruz startup clothing brand ScervGear? They’ve officially launched!