Accelerating innovation across Santa Cruz County.
We connect entrepreneurs, employers, students, investors, civic leaders, and community builders so more world-class companies can start, grow, hire, and stay here.
You could be the next major company built here.
Santa Cruz already has the ingredients: technical talent, research power, creative founders, climate leadership, manufacturing strength, and a community that shows up.
Three clear paths into the ecosystem.
Choose the path that fits your role in the local innovation economy — build a company, find talent, or connect with the community shaping what comes next.
Entrepreneurs
Find startup support, events, funding pathways, local mentors, and visibility for what you are building.
Employers
Meet local candidates, post roles, sponsor high-signal events, and build relationships with students and emerging talent.
Community
Attend events, meet builders, support local innovation, and stay connected to the ideas shaping the Central Coast.
Programs, events, and support — all in one place.
From startup programs to high-signal events and year-round support, Santa Cruz Works creates the rooms, resources, and relationships that help local companies and careers grow.
Programs
Accelerator, Santa Cruz Launchpad job fair and student startup competition, paid internship program, and practical programming that help founders, students, and employers build real momentum.
Events
From New Tech to CEO Works and community gatherings, our events create real introductions, shared learning, and visibility for the people building here.
Support
Resources, connections, partnerships, and visibility that help founders, employers, job seekers, and community members stay supported year-round.
What the network makes possible.
Click through the outcomes Santa Cruz Works helps unlock for founders, employers, executives, students, and the broader community.
50+
Early-stage founders connected through Santa Cruz Accelerates
Empowering entrepreneurs.
Through the Santa Cruz Accelerates program, over 50 early-stage founders have connected with local mentors, completed self-paced courses, and gained access to capital to help scale their ideas into million-dollar ventures.
$100K
Internship support for local companies
Supporting local employers.
Santa Cruz Works provides local startups and companies with $10,000 each to fund internships, hosts 10 CEO meetups a year, and helps employers build workforce pipelines so businesses can find and keep the local talent they need.
100+
Local leaders learning together through CEO Works
Providing executive support.
Through our CEO Works Luncheons, hundreds of local leaders have a forum for gaining advice from peers, solving business challenges together, learning new skills, and staying on top of trends in a collaborative business environment.
400+
Job seekers brought together each year
Growing and connecting talent.
Each year we bring together 400+ job seekers and 25+ local employers for Santa Cruz Launchpad, then continue creating connections through our jobs board, internship program, and community mixers.
1.5K+
People attended SCW events in 2025
Building a robust network.
We host community events throughout the year as a low-barrier way for professionals, students, and curious neighbors to meet the people behind the county’s most innovative companies. In 2025, more than 1,500 people attended our events and we grew to 8,000+ newsletter subscribers.
Proof that the network is moving.
From breakthrough startups to global brands, Santa Cruz Works connects the founders, employers, investors, and partners helping local companies build, hire, scale, and stay rooted here.
Climatize
Climatize
Santa Cruz climate-finance company helping everyday people invest in renewable energy projects and climate infrastructure.
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Joby Aviation
Joby Aviation
A Santa Cruz-born advanced aviation company building the future of electric air taxis.
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Heron Power
Heron Power
Scotts Valley power electronics company building infrastructure for the next-generation grid.
Visit company →What the network makes possible.
Events + connections
“Best regular networking event in Santa Cruz.”
Alex Bergo Head of AI and Venture Capital, Innovation Norway
Startup support
“SCW helped Jane connect with local tech leaders, investors, executives, and the broader innovation community.”
Socrates Rosenfeld CEO, Jane Technologies
Business growth
“Santa Cruz New Tech became Wynn Capital’s #1 referral source.”
Thomas Wynn Wynn Capital Management
Local careers
“SCW helped local talent discover satisfying work close to home and avoid the Highway 17 commute.”
Matthew Marichiba Software Engineer, Joby Aviation