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Santa Cruz Launchpad Celebrates 10 Years of Student Innovation and Career Opportunities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:: Marina Glagolev – mglagole@ucsc.edu



Santa Cruz, CA – May 2026 – The 10th annual Santa Cruz Launchpad returns to the Grove at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, bringing together the region’s most promising student innovators, entrepreneurs, employers, and community leaders for an afternoon celebrating innovation and opportunity. 


Co-hosted by Santa Cruz Works, UC Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College, and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED), Launchpad has become one of the region’s premier innovation events—connecting students with mentors, employers, and investors while highlighting the creativity emerging from local campuses. 

The event features two signature programs: the Student Startup Pitch Competition and a community Job Fair designed to connect talent with opportunity. We are excited to announce the addition of high school teams for the first time.


Student Startup Competition 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

The afternoon begins with a live startup competition where twelve student teams from UC Santa Cruz and/or Cabrillo College, and several from local high schools, pitch their ventures to a panel of expert judges and a live audience for significant cash prizes.

The competition gives participants valuable real-world experience presenting their ideas while receiving feedback from experienced entrepreneurs and investors.


Eligibility: College and high school students within Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley Unified School District


APPLICATIONS DUE: April 8, 2026 (applications open March 7)


INFO SESSIONS


Santa Cruz Launchpad Job Fair - 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Following the competition, the event transitions into the Santa Cruz Launchpad Job Fair, organized by Santa Cruz Works, featuring 25+ local companies offering more than 300 opportunities including internships, part-time roles, and full-time positions.

Attendees will have the chance to connect directly with employers in engineering, healthcare, marketing, technology, and other growing sectors of the local innovation economy. Past participating companies include Joby Aviation, Capstan Medical, and Paystand. Business can sign up to exhibit at the job fair at: https://bit.ly/sclaunch2026


Doug Erickson, co-founder of Santa Cruz Works, emphasized the event’s role in strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem:

“Launchpad brings together talent, ideas, and opportunity in one room. It is both a student startup pitch competition and the largest job fair in Santa Cruz County, where bold young founders share what they are building and local employers connect with the next generation of innovators and their next super employee.”


Manel Camps, Director of UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development, highlighted the importance of experiential learning:

“Launchpad is a signature event that reflects the culmination of our student venture team’s work through the year. Having judges, mentors and an audience from the community reflects the integration of the Santa Cruz entrepreneurship community with our educational institutions..


EVENT DETAILS

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Location: The Grove at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA

Cost: FREE (registration required)Register: https://bit.ly/sclaunch26


GET INVOLVED

Mentors: Email Kati Greaney – kgreaney@ucsc.edu  (subject: SCL2026 mentor)


Employers: Register for a table by April 29, 2026 https://bit.ly/sclaunch26(Table fee waived for Santa Cruz Works partners)


Volunteers: Sign up by May 6 bit.ly/sclaunchpadvolunteer


About Santa Cruz Works Santa Cruz Works is a nonprofit dedicated to growing and supporting the Santa Cruz innovation ecosystem through events, networking, and programs that connect talent with opportunity.


About UCSC’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED) CIED supports students in developing entrepreneurial skills through experiential learning programs, mentorship, startup competitions, and community partnerships, helping cultivate the next generation of innovators and changemakers.



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