Oakland, California – The 13th annual East Bay Innovation Awards will be held at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Hosted by the East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA), the award ceremony honors extraordinary companies and organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa counties that contribute to the East Bay’s legacy of innovation.
The 2026 awardees were identified and selected with the input of business, community, economic development, and municipal leaders from East Bay cities and counties. A departure from the competitive nominations process to select awardees in prior years, this approach resulted in the largest and most diverse field of companies and organizations receiving these awards since the event’s inception in 2013. Awardees will be celebrated and recognized at a fun-filled event ceremony courtesy of 2026 East Bay Innovation Awards Presenting Sponsor Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E).
The 2026 awards ceremony will be hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist, NBC Bay Area news anchor and reporter, Gia Vang. The event will also feature multi-talented Voice Actor and CEO of Enjoyment Endeavor, Joy Ofodu, and musical entertainment from the Bay Area’s legendary DJSHELLHEART.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is the 2026 Legacy Awardee
Awardees are listed below by region and city:
Central Alameda County
Veev, By Lennar (Hayward) – Built Environment
Zoox (Hayward) – Manufacturing
B3 Investors (San Leandro) – Built Environment
Fuse Energy (San Leandro) – Technology
Central Contra Costa County
John Muir Health – Concord Campus (Concord) – Life Sciences
Shiva Murugan Temple (Concord) – Arts & Culture
Choice in Aging (Pleasant Hill) – Community Impact
Collab Fertility (Walnut Creek) – Life Sciences
SewerAI (Walnut Creek) – Engineering & Design
East Contra Costa County
Amports (Antioch) – Built Environment
Wonoda (Antioch) – Manufacturing
Henkel (Bay Point) – Manufacturing
Red Box Business Solutions (Brentwood) – Catalyst
Medical Center for Birds (Oakley) – Life Sciences
Bishop-Wisecarver (Pittsburg) – Manufacturing
Blue Planet Systems (Pittsburg) – Built Environment
North Alameda County
Anthro Energy (Alameda) – Technology
Rhythmix Cultural Works (Alameda) – Community Impact
Berkeley Startup Cluster (Berkeley) – Catalyst
Copper (Berkeley) – Technology
Brillouin Energy (Emeryville) – Technology
East Bay Community Foundation (Oakland) – Community Impact
Molten Industries (Oakland) – Manufacturing
Rising Sun Center for Opportunity (Oakland) – Education
South Alameda County
9th St. Partners (Fremont) – Built Environment
Fremont Bank (Fremont) – Community Impact
Ohlone College (Fremont) – Education
ATUM (Newark) – Life Sciences
Azimuth (Union City) – Catalyst
Tri-Valley
AmberSemi (Dublin) – Technology
Snowflake (Dublin) – Technology
Inertia (Livermore) – Technology
Livermore Institute for Fusion Technology (Livermore) – Catalyst
Enjoyment Endeavor (San Ramon) – Arts & Culture
Sunset Development (San Ramon) – Built Environment
West Contra Costa County
NIAD Art Center (Richmond) – Arts & Culture
Viridi (Richmond) – Catalyst
City of San Pablo (San Pablo) – Built Environment
Bio-Rad (Hercules) – Life Sciences
Kitchen@812 (Pinole) – Catalyst
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About East Bay Economic Development Alliance: Founded in 1990, the East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA) was born out of the recognition by top leaders of the need to work together and tackle shared challenges. Today, East Bay EDA is a 150+ member organization that serves as the regional voice and networking resource for strengthening the economy, building the workforce, and enhancing the quality of life in the East Bay. The organization is a cross-sector, public-private partnership that promotes strategic economic development throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. For more than 30 years, East Bay EDA has convened diverse networks of business, government, and community leaders who embrace the extraordinary value of our region as an unrivaled place to live, work, and do business.