Caltech trains scientists who build things that go to Mars. ArtCenter College of Design produces the industrial designers behind objects millions of people use every day. Pasadena City College is where the first-generation student, the career-changer, and the entrepreneur who didn’t follow the traditional path go to start over or start fresh. On Monday night, students from all three will pitch their ideas to the same room of investors and established founders.
The Pasadena Innovation Showcase — the centerpiece of Connect Week 2026, a five-day series organized jointly by Innovate Pasadena and the City of Pasadena’s Economic Development Division — brings together student pitchers from institutions that are miles apart geographically but rarely in the same professional orbit. The week spans deep tech, life sciences, climate innovation, and quantum computing. The student pitch element is its sharpest edge.
ArtCenter and Caltech have more history together than most people know. The two schools maintain a formal exchange program and co-established The Design Accelerator, an incubator for Pasadena-area startups, according to ArtCenter’s published institutional materials. PCC’s presence at the showcase broadens that conversation past the research-university axis entirely.
“Connect Week is about strengthening connections across Pasadena’s innovation ecosystem,” said Mike Giardello, chairman of Innovate Pasadena. “From students and startups to established companies and world-class research institutions, this week showcases the community that makes Pasadena a unique innovation hub,” Giardello said, according to the City of Pasadena.
David Klug, the city’s Economic Development Director, echoed the point. “We’re excited to bring together innovators from across Pasadena and the region during Connect Week. These events highlight the collaboration and talent that make Pasadena a hub for meaningful innovation,” Klug said.
Innovate Pasadena, a nonprofit operating in Greater Pasadena since 2012, runs Connect Week as its flagship annual series, organized around four pillars: technology, design, science, and entrepreneurship. This year’s edition opens Sunday, April 12, with a VIP Kickoff Reception at The Langham Huntington. Quantum Day Pasadena follows Tuesday afternoon; a panel on the climate costs of AI runs Tuesday evening. A BioTech Crawl takes place Wednesday afternoon, and the Pasadena Tech Happy Hour closes the week Thursday night. The Innovation Showcase pitch competition is Monday, April 13, at 6 p.m. Registration details and the full schedule are at Luma.com/InnovatePasadena.
Three institutions. Three student cultures. One room.
CONNECT WEEK 2026: PASADENA INNOVATION SHOWCASE |Date & Time: Monday, April 13, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Venue: Multiple venues across Pasadena | Website: https://connectpasadena.com/
