City of Hayward, Cal State East Bay announce upcoming Innovation Festival collaboration

HAYWARD, Calif., April 25, 2024—The City of Hayward is collaborating with Cal State East Bay for the upcoming Innovation Festival event on Wednesday, May 1, from 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Cal State East Bay Core Library and University Union.  

The Innovation Festival will showcase the latest innovations, foster entrepreneurship, and connect visionary minds from across the region. The event includes a variety of engaging activities including start-up pitches, a fireside chat focusing on the latest technology trends, start-up company exhibitions, and a start-up job carnival. The keynote panel will feature Cal State East Bay President Cathy Sandeen, Dean of College of Business and Economics Gangaram Singh and City of Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas.  

This inaugural event will mark the biggest start-up tech event in Hayward. It is expected to attract a mix of innovative companies, investors, venture capitalists, and start-ups, presenting opportunities for collaboration, investment, and professional development. Hayward companies participating include Amazon Web Services, a global provider of cloud-based services, Applied Silver, a biotechnology company developing commercial antimicrobial solutions using silver ions, and Taelor, an AI-driven menswear subscriptions company. 

This free event is being organized by The Smith Center for Private Enterprise Studies and the Up! Club. The Smith Center for Private Enterprise Studies was established in 1991, through a gift from community leaders Owen and Erma Smith, to what is now the College of Business and Economics at California State East Bay. Their mission is to educate and create opportunities for students to learn more about entrepreneurship, as well as to develop their own business ideas. The Up! Club is an entrepreneurship and startup club that supports, encourages, and provides resources for students to transform their ideas into reality.  

For more information and to register, go online here.