Santa Cruz Tech Community Rises to Help
April 3 UPDATE: Loan Forgiveness for Startups now available: Loan Forgiveness
At 7pm PT Wednesday April 1, Santa Cruz Works held its first New Tech via webinar (yes, on Fools Day. And as Stephen Colbert said, the only appropriate Fools Day prank would be if someone would please TP our houses… with 2 ply or 4 ply). It was a success even though we were not able to see everyone’s smiling faces and feel those warm germ-free Santa Cruz hugs. The webinar was recorded for those who missed it: New Tech Webinar Recording.
Doug Erickson gave a brief overview of support given by many local tech companies, including:
Aeroasis a UV light for sterilizing items.
Amazon is providing a $20M fund for companies working on C19 immunization projects. Amazon provides Santa Cruz Works Partners with $1,000 AWS credits, and more if needed.
Bay Federal Credit Union is partnering with GreenPath Financial Wellness to offer free phone-based financial counseling.
Cloud Brigade rallied and created the Cruz One website to help educational institutions, non-profits, and small businesses rapidly pivot to online programs.
Cosmic Design: working with companies to insure their C19 efforts are heard above the confetti news.
Cruzio has been working around the clock to get kids connected to the Internet throughout underserved areas. Go Cruzio!!
Digital NEST delivered 50 computers to families who need to continue their education ONLINE; We have asked Apple and Google to supply another 150 computers. Digital NEST also built a COVID-19 tutorial in Spanish.
Idea Fab Labs started Personal Protective Equipment for Central Coast to help coordinate PPE donations.
Joby Aviation, Prometheus, UCSC, Cabrillo College, Idea Fab Labs, Parallel Flight, and ProductOps are mass producing face shields. Over 1,000 were shipped this week to NYC where they are desperately needed. And 300 will be delivered this week to our region. Our tech community can produce 1000 a week as needed.
HubX is building a site to enable you to virtually walk and shop downtown.
Launch Brigade is working with Blume Distillation on product packaging and adding eCommerce to their website to supply alcohol-based sanitizers.
Looker is making time to connect with local nonprofits to understand and assist with immediate needs. Employees are donating their time to help with the shift to digital learning as well as monetary donations to help with COVID-19 relief that will support as many community members as possible during this time of need.
PitchHub is supplying a web-based teleprompter solution to help businesses deliver more professional webinars.
ProductOps built a Shelter in Place Simulator which models how humans behave in cities during an outbreak.
Ride Out The Wave was developed by Santa Cruz Works, Santa Cruz Econ Dev, and a team of engineers (who wish to remain anonymous) built the Ride Out The Wave website to help local businesses keep paddling. Any business can list their company and their gift certificate. When a customer purchases a gift certificate for $25, Santa Cruz Works will match it. Yes, you get 2 for 1. A free concert by local musician Taylor Rae on April 3 will help promote this campaign.
Santa Cruz Tech Beat, Santa Cruz Local, and Santa Cruz Works are doubling down to network the community for action.
Smith & Vandiver is working with Venus Spirits and Blume Distillation to create hand sanitizer with 75% proof alcohol. BTW, local company Smith & Vandiver is the supplier of 90% of all the hand lotions for Bed Bath and Beyond, Walmart, CVS, and more.
SupplyShift: supply chain visibility into your supply chain.
Tech Care Now has partnered with an international global consortium of doctors to help augment much needed equipment for healthcare workers including protective gear, hospital equipment, test kits, etc. To get supplies, contact John at john@techcarenow.com
UCSC Institute of Genomics virus checking to C19 research using Genome Browser: UCSC Feed
Zoom provides free or low-cost web conferencing for non-profits. See Zoom for non-profit - discount - https://www.techsoup.org/zoom
Zendesk is offering Santa Cruz Works partners 6 months free of the award-winning customer support application. See JOIN Santa Cruz Works.
Zen Hustlers created a WFH group on FB for work from home professionals and as parents seeking social support, sharing and resources. http://zenHustlers.com/wfh
If your company is providing assistance, please contact us at info@santacruzworks.org
We are in unprecedented times. It brings to mind that quote by Kennedy “ Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” IF you can help, please do. IF you need help, please ask. And even IF you don’t think you have resources to help, remember that you are helping by observing the Shelter in Place mandate, by wearing a mask when you have to go out, by washing your hands frequently, by participating ONLINE with businesses, with community events for news, funding, exercise, meditation or prayer, and by being kind to yourself, your family, and your neighbors. We will prevail, and we will be a stronger community because of this. From the bottom of my heart, and the entire Santa Cruz Works team, Thank You!
Ride Out the Wave, HubX virtual walk downtown, Blume hand sanitizer, productOps Simulator