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.

The future of tech in Santa Cruz is bright. The New Tech Meetup just celebrated its 10th anniverary, a growing number of companies are choosing to stay in Santa Cruz, and local tech enthusiasm is approaching fever pitch.

We chatted with Santa Cruz Economic Development Director Bonnie Lipscomb about her vision for the future of Santa Cruz, the relationship between the tech community and local business development, the biggest challenges the city faces, and what it will take for more people to live and work in Santa Cruz.

Behind glass doors in the old Watsonville Post Office, high school and college students are designing logos, developing websites, and shooting videos in a recording studio complete with acoustic paneling and a green screen. Long wooden benches strewn with pillows and sleek leather chairs are filled with young men and women collaborating on their latest tech project or silently tapping away at a rented laptop. Behind the open workspace is a well-stocked kitchen with free sandwiches, snacks, and beverages that’s always open to members.