Santa Cruz Launchpad
About Santa Cruz Launchpad
Santa Cruz Launchpad is an annual May event that combines a student startup competition with a community career fair, all under one roof at the Boardwalk’s Cocoanut Grove.
The first half of the day spotlights emerging founders in a live pitch competition, with $250-$100K in prizes and rewards on the line. The second half shifts into a public job fair featuring 60+ local companies and 300+ opportunities, including part-time roles, full-time positions, and internships.
Details for Launchpad 2026 will be announced in early April. Either way, it’s the place to be if you want to grow your network, discover new talent, or find your next opportunity.
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND. ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. This year’s event is proudly hosted by Santa Cruz Works, Cabrillo College, UCSC CIED, UC Santa Cruz Innovation & Business Engagement Hub, UCSC Career Success, and UCSC QB3.
2025 Schedule
12-4pm: Student business plan pitches (open to the public)
4-4:45pm: Table Setup
5-7pm: Job Fair + Networking (open to the public)
Student Pitch Competition | 12-4pm
From 1-4pm, students will compete in a business plan competition for cash prizes. The pitch competition portion of the event typically includes 12 student teams who each have five minutes each to deliver their pitches to a judge panel comprised of UC Santa Cruz alumni and mentors. Check out 2022 and 2023 winners here. If you are a student and would like to compete, click the button below. Applications are due Monday, April 21, 2025 5pm.
Pitch Prize Categories for 2025 include:
Biotech/Health: $5,000
Social Impact: $5,000
Technology: $5,000
Main Street: $2,000
Six Runners-Up: $1,000 each ($6,000 total)
People's Choice Award: $2,000
Top Santa Cruz Launchpad pitch contest winners are also eligible to participate in the Santa Cruz Accelerates program and OneValley Perks Package valued at $1M.
Mentors Wanted
If you are interested in being a mentor to a student team, please reach out to Kati katigreaney[at]gmail.com with the subject: Mentor for 2025 Launchpad teams. As a mentor you would help students with their startup and to refine their pitches.
Job Fair | 5-7pm
From 5-7pm, job seekers will have the opportunity to interact with 20+ local companies offering 200+ jobs and internships ranging from engineering to marketing, healthcare, project management, sales, customer support, tech, and more.
This event allows students, job seekers, and professionals of all experiences and backgrounds the opportunity to show off their resumes, find career opportunities, and make new connections. There is no charge for job seekers to attend the job fair. The job fair is open to the public (you do not need to be a student or pitch contest participant to participate). But all attendees must register in advance!
Previous employers included Joby Aviation, PayStand, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Ambient Photonics, Cruz Foam, Digital NEST, Bay Federal Credit Union, Mynt, Central California Alliance for Health, Unnatural Products, Santa Cruz Seaside Company, Zero Motorcycles, PVUSD, and more.
Participating companies and organizations for 2025 coming in May 2025.
Interested in volunteering?
Learn more and signup at bit.ly/sclaunchpadvolunteer by May 19 or sooner!
Interested in Hiring at SC Launchpad 2025?
If your company is interested in hiring, please click the button below and sign up to table by noon May 14, 2025.
