Santa Cruz Launchpad

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Photos of Santa Cruz Launchpad 2022 by Sullivan Gaudreault.

About Santa Cruz Launchpad

Santa Cruz Launchpad, previously known as “Get Hired” features an exciting combination of student business pitch competition plus a community career fair open to the public. Santa Cruz Launchpad 2022 was held at the UCSC Hay Barn and was packed to the brim with over 400 attendees and 20+ employers. 2023’s Launchpad took place on May 25 at the Cocoanut Grove with over 600 attendees and 25+ employers. This year’s event will take place on May 29 and include a student business pitch competition from 1-4pm and a job fair open to the public from 5-7pm. THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND. ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Register here

This year’s event is proudly hosted by Santa Cruz Works, Cabrillo College, Blackstone Launchpad, QB3 UCSC, UC Santa Cruz Innovation & Business Engagement Hub, UCSC Career Success, CIED, and the City of Santa Cruz.

Schedule

1-4pm: Student business plan pitches (open to the public)
4-5pm: Table Setup
5-7pm: Job Fair + Networking (open to the public)

Student Pitch Competition

From 1-4pm, students will compete in a business plan competition for $40,000 in 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 UCSC alumni and mentors. Check out 2022 and 2023 winners here.

Pitch categories for 2024 include: Social Impact, Mainstreet, Technology, Community Impact, People’s Choice, Climate Action, and Runner Ups. If you are a student and would like to compete, apply HERE by no later than April 26.

MENTORS WANTED!

If you are interested in being a mentor to a student team, please reach out to Kati katigreaney[at]gmail.com

Job Fair

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!

Last year’s employers included Joby Aviation, PayStand, Looker / Google, Cabrillo College, Santa Cruz Bicycles, Ambient Photonics, Cruz Foam, Digital NEST, Bay Federal Credit Union, Unnatural Products, Santa Cruz Seaside Company, Zero Motorcycles, and more.