Santa Cruz Launchpad Student Startup Competition & Job Fair
2026-05-13 12:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | the Grove, 400 Beach Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, United States
The 10th annual Santa Cruz Launchpad event combines a student startup competition with a community career fair, all under one roof! This year’s event takes place at the The Grove at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060) on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
The first half of the day spotlights emerging startups in a live startup competition, with cash prizes. The second half shifts into a job fair featuring 25+ local companies and 300+ opportunities, including part-time roles, full-time positions, and internships.
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND. ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

2026 Schedule
12-4pm: Student business plan pitches (open to the public)
4-4:45pm: Employer Table Setup
5-7pm: Job Fair + Networking (open to the public)
Student Startup Competition | 12-4pm
From 1-4pm, students will compete in a startup 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. Check out 2025 winners here. This year’s competition is open to both college and high school students in Santa Cruz County. If you are a student at UC Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College or a high school student in Santa Cruz County or Pajaro Valley Unified School District and would like to compete, click the button below.
Applications are due Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 5pm: https://bit.ly/4d9MaqW
Pitch Prize Categories for 2026

• Biotech/Health (QB3) = $5,000
• Social Impact = $5,000
• Technology = $5,000
• Main Street = $2,000
• Runners Up = $500 each
• People’s Choice Award = $2,000
• High School Award = $2,000

– Top winners eligible to participate in the SC Accelerates program.
– All teams will receive Santa Cruz Works Perks Package by OneValley (Value $1M)

– Every team that qualifies for the final round will receive a cash prize!

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 experience levels 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! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-cruz-launchpad-2026-tickets-1976673979082
Previous employers included Joby Aviation, Capstan Medica, Paystand, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Cruz Foam, Digital NEST, Bay Federal Credit Union, Mynt, Central California Alliance for Health, Unnatural Products, Santa Cruz Seaside Company, California Highway Patrol, BMO, PVUSD, and more.
A list of participating employers will be shared at the beginning of May.

This year’s event is proudly hosted by UCSC Center for Innovation and Development (CIED), UC Santa Cruz Innovation & Business Engagement Hub, UCSC Career Success, and UCSC QB3 Santa Cruz Works, Cabrillo College, , Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD), and Santa Cruz County Office of Education (SCCOE),

Free Attendee Registration

Employer Registration
