Quick Take

In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports on Paystand expanding payments to include some types of cryptocurrencies, previews a local startup's appearance on "Shark Tank" and notes the debut of the Lookout List.

Each week, we’re taking a closer look at the movers and shakers, the growth of industries and what’s really driving the Santa Cruz County economy. I’ll be spotlighting some of the biggest areas for opportunity, updates on local development and all things underpinning the regional business scene each Wednesday.

Got ideas? Send them my way to news@lookoutlocal.com with “Business News” in the subject line.

Santa Cruz-based payments company Paystand purchases cryptocurrency payroll company

Inside Paystand’s offices in the E.C. Rittenhouse Building in downtown Santa Cruz. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz-based Paystand will expand payment options for its customers to include some types of cryptocurrencies with the acquisition of a San Francisco-based payroll company.

Paystand, founded in 2014, helps companies do things like pay vendors directly without having to mail them a paper check or automate payments for recurring bills. This enables faster payments, as neither the payee nor the recipient has to wait for a bank to process the transaction, and it eliminates the fees that can sometimes come with going through a traditional bank.

Last week, Paystand announced it has purchased Bitwage, which provides a payroll system for employees and freelancers. Unlike many payroll system companies, Bitwage allows recipients to receive their payment in different forms, from local currency to cryptocurrency, including what’s known as stablecoins. 

Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency that are designed to maintain a steady value because the value is pegged to a specified asset, like U.S. currency or another government-issued currency. That’s unlike other types of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, whose value can fluctuate dramatically from day to day, or even hourly. Stablecoins have started to gain traction as a way to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital currency, particularly for cross-border payments.

With Bitwage, Paystand will be able to offer stablecoin as a payment option for its customers, and it expands the company’s capabilities with new functions like mass payouts, the automated transfer of funds to multiple recipients at once.

Bitwage is Paystand’s third acquisition in the past five years. Last year, the company acquired Teampay, a New York City-based company focused on purchasing software for businesses, and in 2022, it bought Yaydoo, a Mexico-based provider of procurement software.

First annual Lookout List recognizes readers’ favorite local businesses

Lookout started rolling out the results of its inaugural survey of readers’ favorite businesses, organizations and events last week. 

New on Wednesday is the best of the best in home and business services. 

You can see all the winners, including family and pets, health and self-care, food and drink experiences and restaurants, here.

Santa Cruz-based surf helmet company to appear Wednesday on “Shark Tank“

The creators of Santa Cruz’s Surf Skull helmet will be on ABC’s “Shark Tank” on Wednesday night. Credit: Surf Skull

A local startup company that’s designed a new type of surf helmet will be on ABC’s business reality series “Shark Tank” on Wednesday night. 

Surf Skull is a helmet for surfers designed to look like a bucket hat. The company’s founders will be on the television show to pitch the latest version of their product, which they say is lighter and more comfortable than the first iteration. The helmet is also engineered for greater impact absorption.

Surfer and product designer Davon Larson came up with the concept after getting cut on the head by his board’s fin while surfing in Mexico. He wanted something less bulky and a little more fashion-forward than the helmets he’d seen on the market. He and his team launched a Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, and began selling the first version of the helmet through the Surf Skull website. They expect to start shipping pre-orders for the second version of the helmet next month. In October, Time magazine put Surf Skull in the special mentions section of its best inventions of 2025 list.

The “Shark Tank” episode featuring Surf Skull airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ABC and will be available for streaming on Hulu the next day.

ICYMI: Scotts Valley assisted living facility to renovate units for disabled residents free of charge as part of class action settlement

Brookdale Scotts Valley has agreed to renovate units to accommodate residents with disabilities and mobility issues. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

Following a lawsuit filed by more than 80 families, the nation’s largest assisted living operator must upgrade three of its facilities, including one in Scotts Valley.

A federal class action suit accused Brookdale Senior Living of elder financial abuse, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and operating understaffed facilities in a way that “fails to consistently provide even the most basic level of promised care.” The company denied the allegations but agreed to a settlement.

Brookdale operates more than 80 facilities in the state, including the one at 100 Lockwood Lane, formerly known as Oak Tree Villa before Brookdale took over. 

Read Tania Ortiz’s full story here.

Ch-ch-changes

  • New executive hired for West Coast Community Bank’s Santa Cruz operations: Johnny Clark is the new vice president and deposit relationship manager at West Coast Community Bank’s Santa Cruz office. Clark has more than 18 years of banking experience, including experience with Wells Fargo Bank and JPMorganChase. 
  • Capitola wine bar reopens in new location: Cork & Fork Capitola has reopened in a new spot after closing its Capitola Village location nine months ago. The new wine bar is located at 1955 41st Ave., Suite B8, by the Capitola Mall.
The Janus of Santa Cruz office on 7th Avenue. Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz
  • Janus names new chief development officer: Janus of Santa Cruz, a nonprofit organization that provides substance-use disorder treatment and behavioral health services, hired Angela Chesnut as chief development officer. In this role, Chesnut will oversee development, fundraising and community engagement initiatives. Chesnut previously worked at Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County leading legislative advocacy efforts, and worked for both state Sen. John Laird and former county supervisor John Leopold.
  • Homeless Garden Project opens new holiday shop in downtown Santa Cruz: The Homeless Garden Project has opened its new temporary store at 1339 Pacific Ave., across the street from its former location, which was closed earlier this year due to flooding. The temporary store will be open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Joby Aviation inks deal to bring air taxis to Kazakhstan: Santa Cruz-based electric air taxi company Joby Aviation will sell up to $250 million worth of aircraft and services to a company that hopes to bring air taxis to Kazakhstan. Alatau Advance Air Group is working with the Kazakhstan government to establish the central Asian nation’s first air taxi service. As part of the agreement with Joby, government leaders there have committed to help build the infrastructure needed for air taxi services, including vertiports, which are specialized heliports designed for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft like Joby’s. The move comes as Kazakhstan’s leaders have made substantial investments in the country’s technological development, including establishing a new Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. 
  • Santa Cruz farmer a finalist for national organic grower award: Larry Jacobs, co-owner of Jacobs Farm del Cabo, is one of four finalists for the 2025 Organic Grower of the Year awards. Jacobs and his wife, Sandra Belin, started Jacobs Farm in 1980. They now farm in Santa Cruz, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, with a focus on culinary herbs, tomatoes and pumpkins. The couple also runs the Del Cabo collective, which works with small farmers in Mexico to bring their crops to markets in California. Winners will be announced in December at the Organic Grower Summit in Monterey. Earlier this year, the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau named Belin and Jacobs the 2025 Farmers of the Year. 

Got hires, promotions, or departures to report? Send them to news@lookoutlocal.com with the subject line “Career changes.”

What’s new on the Lookout Job Board

Want more? Browse all openings on our job board. | Hiring? Post your job today!

Save the date 

  • Thursday, Nov. 13: The Santa Cruz Area Chamber will host an education session focused on leading high-performing teams, with speaker Julia Greenspan, consultant, executive coach and co-founder of Ignite Nexus. The event takes place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Ideal Bar & Grill on Beach Street in Santa Cruz. Tickets, which are $75 for chamber members and $95 for non-members, are available here.
  • Friday, Nov. 14: Three Aptos Village businesses – Another Banger, Pelican House and Calicoastal Boutique – are hosting a sip-and-shop community night. The stores will stay open later, from 5 to 7 p.m., and donate 10% of sales during that period to Second Harvest Food Bank. 
  • Saturday, Nov. 15: Santa Cruz-based Boutique Laboratory Guitars is hosting a brand launch party from 1 to 5 p.m. at Buena Vista Brewing Company, 65 Hangar Way, Suite D, Watsonville. 
  • Wednesday, Nov. 19: The San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley Chambers of Commerce will hold a business mix-and-mingle event from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Kissed by Angel Wines, 75 Mount Hermon Rd., Scotts Valley.
  • Wednesday, Dec. 3: The Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce will host a holiday business mixer and food drive at Woodstock’s Pizza, 720 Front St., Santa Cruz, from 5 to 7 p.m. Register here.

Add your business or networking events to Lookout’s free public calendar, BOLO. Click here to add your event.

Business news worth reading

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.

Jessica M. Pasko has been writing professionally for almost two decades. She cut her teeth in journalism as a reporter for the Associated Press in her native Albany, New York, where she covered everything...