THIS WEEK!

There are 2 events on Wednesday during Santa Cruz Launchpad that you won’t want to miss!

• Santa Cruz Business Pitch Competition: 12 teams will pitch for fame and fortune. Did you know that one team of researchers has found a mushroom in the Santa Cruz hills that can dissolve polyurethane in as little as 3 weeks!! Check out these prizes:

  • Biotech/Health (QB3) = $6,000 

  • Social Impact = $6,000 

  • Technology = $6,000 

  • Community Impact = $2,000 

  • Runners Up =  $2,000 

  • People's Choice Award = $2,000 

  • Special Climate Action = $10,000* from UCSC's IBE Hub  

• Santa Cruz Annual Job Fair: 30+ employers are offering hundreds of jobs ranging from part time to full time, remote, internships, senior positions, etc.

2024 Santa Cruz Launchpad Employers

Ambient Photonics is an innovative technology startup that specializes in developing the world’s most powerful low-light photovoltaic cell. Imagine a world without batteries where a tiny photovoltaic cell harnesses enough energy from ambient light to power smart IoT devices.

Anatometal makes customizable jewelry to fit you perfectly and studio essentials. Each piece is hand crafted in the USA.

Bay Federal Credit Union provides full-service financial products and solutions to Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties.

Cabrillo College is a community college that provides education programs and academic support services for students.

Central California Alliance for Health is a health plan that coordinates and provides health care services to members enrolled in Medi-Cal and Medicare health insurance programs.

County of Santa Cruz Personnel is the department of the County of Santa Cruz government that handles personnel and employment services for county employees.

CyberData based in Monterey, California, since its founding 50 years ago, is a leader in designing, developing, and manufacturing innovative SIP Endpoints for the SMB, healthcare, education and public/private sector and POS (Point of Sale) connectivity solutions. CyberData sells through its distribution channel and offers custom end products through its OEM division. We develop and manufacture products that are known for quality, reliability, ease-of-use and durability. Our full service prototype-to-production capability and our reputation has earned us numerous OEM relationships with companies such as Epson, Dell, HP, Atlas IED, Additech, Fujitsu, NCR, Wincor-Nixdorf, and Bixolon.

Digital Nest is a nonprofit technology center that provides digital skills training, mentorship, and career development opportunities to underserved youth in Santa Cruz County. They have 30 positions available.

Downtown Association of Santa Cruz manages a ‘Business Improvement District‘ established to promote commerce and provide an environment compatible with doing business. Multiple businesses in Downtown Santa Cruz are hiring, see table for details!

Farmers Insurance- Pedro Gonzalez Insurance Agency is an insurance agency that provides comprehensive insurance coverage, including life, home, auto, and business insurance policies.

Janus of Santa Cruz offers a full scope of programs, including detoxification, residential treatment, perinatal treatment, medication-assisted opioid treatment, outpatient programs, drinking driver programs, counseling services, and sober housing.

Joby Aviation is an aviation company that develops and manufactures electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for urban air mobility. They have over 200 positions open.

Lifespan provides professional aging care management, social engagement and supported activities.

Mynt Systems develops, engineers, and constructs Investment grade Solar PV and battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects for Industrial real estate.

Oceanside Supported Living is a locally owned and operated Supported Living Agency in Capitola, CA.

Our Energy is a collaborative team of professionals who work with clients to implement renewable energy and sustainable development projects from concept to completion. Our focus is in renewable energy & efficiency, water, green building, and civil infrastructure. 

Pajaro Valley Unified School District is a school district based in Watsonville, California. They are currently looking for a wide variety of teachers, counselors, health care assistants, bakers, behavior technicians, speech and language specialists, and more. They have over 70 positions available.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an amusement park and classic beachfront boardwalk that features attractions, games, food, and entertainment for visitors of all ages. They have 25 openings at the moment.

Santa Cruz County Bank offers competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and individuals; including business loans, lines of credit, commercial real estate financing, construction lending, asset-based lending, agricultural loans, SBA and USDA government-guaranteed loans, and more.

Santa Cruz County Office of Education is committed to ensuring all students have the educational opportunities they need to thrive.

Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 (also known as NetCom) was created in 1996 as a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to provide public safety and 9-1-1 dispatch services for Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Cruz Police and Fire Departments, Watsonville Police and Fire Departments, and Capitola Police Department. Along with these “owners” of the JPA, we also provide services to all the Fire Districts in Santa Cruz County and American Medical Response (the local paramedic and ambulance transport provider). In 2011, NetCom started providing this same dispatching service to San Benito County, to include Hollister Police, San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, Hollister Fire, and American Medical Response.

Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors.

San Jose Police Department Recruiting is the recruiting branch of San José Police Department. SJPD is dedicated to providing public safety through community partnerships and 21st Century Policing practices, ensuring equity for all.

Swellcycle pioneers sustainable innovation, dedicated to reducing the ecological footprint of surfboard production.

Walnut Avenue Family and Women's Center is a 501 (c) 3 public benefit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for women, children, and families in Santa Cruz County for 90 years and is a strength-based family center.

Woodstock's Santa Cruz mission is to earn loyal customers and team members who uniquely regard Woodstock’s as the Ultimate Pizza Experience.

Other Participants

Access 2 Employment is a workforce consulting company that provides employment opportunities for persons with disabilities through job coaching, resume assistance, and job seeker training. They will be sharing information regarding their upcoming job fair.

CIED supports the development of an entrepreneurial mindset through student coursework, venture creation, pitch competitions, events and internships.

Get Virtual is a non-profit student-led organization that was established to help businesses establish their online presence.

GoSprout team is building a world-class platform to make apprenticeship management simple and streamlined for everyone.

Vero Learning is an AI-powered education technology platform that aims to help young adults improve their career readiness skills and match them with vocational opportunities

UCSC Career Success works to support undergraduate and graduate students, as well as UCSC alumni. Career Success offers career coaching for students and alumni.

Have you registered yet?

It’s free for job seekers to attend! Click the button below to sign up or learn more! And don’t forget to share with your friends and network!

Santa Cruz Launchpad Student Pitch Competition Finalists

And of course, we can’t forget about the student business pitch competition teams who will be competing from 12-4pm! These are the teams who will be pitching their business ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience.

Collegiate: Supercharge college admissions support through personalized mentorship

Crisislink: At CrisisLink, we recognize that traditional communication often fails in remote areas during emergencies, causing people to be silenced and cut off from crucial support

Daily - MedLog: More is possible daily with MedLog

Done Today: Done Today is an online platform connecting students who need money, to neighbors who need a helping hand.

Hotspot Creatives: A platform for creatives by creatives

Light Links Inc.: Connect to the internet through the Light coming from your home light bulbs! Reliable as Wi-Fi, fast as Light!

MiRage: MiRage is a virtual reality-based application that gamifies labs to make them more engaging and effective at demonstrating the scientific principles at play.

Operation Blue / Circular Plastics: Join CircularPlastics in reshaping the future of the plastic economy in California, where pioneers of the materials future don’t just survive, they thrive.

PowerPath: Solar panels for roads!

ShowerTech: Our philosophy is to enrich the lives of the future through the actions taken in the present.

Tallyrus: AI driven grading app for grading and self-assessment to foster 1-on-1 interactions with students.

TerraNova Bio: Using nature to solve humanity's greatest problem