Every year, Santa Cruz Works honors the people who have contributed to the growth of the local tech and entrepreneurial community. Join us on February 1 to learn more about the incredible journeys and words of wisdom of those who have made a significant impact in 2023. Come enjoy live music, grab a bite, and make connections with local professionals in Santa Cruz County!

2023 Titans of Tech

• Alexi Sevastopoulos – Founding Member of Santa Cruz Ventures, a $10m venture fund aimed at supporting startups focused on sustainability and planetary health in Santa Cruz and along the Central Coast.
• Cameron Pye – Co-Founder of Unnatural Products Inc., a biotech company that pairs AI with chemistry to usher in the next generation of molecularly targeted therapeutics.
• David Lee – Assistant Professor, Computational Media at UC Santa Cruz. David received the Google Scholars Research Award, grants from NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education, and is actively building the holistic-minded future tech workforce by situating his students in real-world work, contributing to community needs, and motivated by curiosity and passion.
• Ethan Rublee – Founder of farm-ng, a cutting-edge robotics company specializing in versatile farm robots designed to facilitate sustainable agricultural practices.
• Juliane Farrand – Head of People, Joby Aviation
• Jorian Wilkins – Executive Director, DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION OF SANTA CRUZ. Jorian advocacy for more funding for the downtown district of Santa Cruz is the reason why businesses are still standing today.
• Marco Rolandi – Co-Founder, Cruz Foam and Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz. Marco developed the world’s 1st compostable/biodegradable foam that replace EPS (Styrofoam) and EPE (Expanded Polyethylene).
• Shanta Bodhan – Director of CX at Talespin. Shanta is a dedicated leader and rolemodel and is actively shaping the future generation as well as technology for the greater good through her actions and values.
• Sri Hastuti Kurniawan – Professor of the Computational Media Department, Baskin Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz. Sri is a leading voice in the academic community for assistive and accessible technologies.
• Susana Ruiz – Co-founder of Take Action Games and Assistant Professor of film and digital media at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Ruiz is applying technologies and digital media in a new way that will allow communities to share our histories, cultures, and other stories using a deeper, immersive experience and thus facilitating higher-impact

Pizza and nibbles are included. Learn more about past awardees here.

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