The Californer - Coachella Valley Innovation Alliance Launches New 9-City Regional Innovation Platform

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Free community event on Tuesday, May 26, in Palm Springs, anchored by Blue Zones Project Palm Springs and fiscally sponsored by Caravanserai - Alliance for Entrepreneurs. Register at cvia.ai

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Californer -- The Coachella Valley Innovation Alliance (cvia.ai) today announced its official launch as a new regional alliance connecting innovators, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and community builders across all nine Coachella Valley cities. CVIA operates as a sponsored project of Caravanserai - Alliance for Entrepreneurs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The inaugural Pilot event takes place Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Studio 4707 in Palm Springs — free and open to the community, with limited seating. Two Valley innovators will take the stage to share what they're building right here in the desert and how new models of collaboration and leadership are shaping the region's future.

Featured Speaker: Mona Babauta, CEO of SunLine Transit Agency, leads the nation's largest dedicated hydrogen fueling infrastructure for public transit — operating right here in the Coachella Valley. A second featured speaker will be announced shortly.

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The evening will include networking, founder conversations, and audience Q&A focused on innovation, regional collaboration, and opportunity across the Valley.

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 · 4:30–7:00 PM · Studio 4707, Palm Springs
Free Admission · Seating Limited · Register: https://www.cvia.ai/

"The Valley's innovation story has been told in fragments for too long. Every city has builders doing remarkable things. CVIA is the room where those conversations finally happen."
— Brian Allman, Founding Partner, CVIA

"Blue Zones research tells us that belonging and purpose are among the strongest predictors of well-being. CVIA creates the conditions for both — where connection leads to collaboration and collaboration leads to real economic opportunity for our community."
— Mihai Patru, Executive Director, Blue Zones Project Palm Springs

Beyond the Pilot: Building a More Connected Valley

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The Coachella Valley has always had innovators. What it has never had is a platform built to find them, connect them, and make their work visible across all nine cities — regardless of background, industry, or zip code. CVIA is that platform. Built here. For here. By the people who chose this Valley deliberately and are building its future from the inside out.

The Pilot event is the first step in a broader series of gatherings planned across all nine cities — each designed to strengthen connection, surface local innovation, and create stronger pathways for talent and opportunity to grow and remain rooted in the Valley.

This effort is made possible in collaboration with partners across the Valley, including Greater Palm Springs Economic Development.

Partners: Blue Zones Project Palm Springs (Founding Sponsor) · Caravanserai Project (Fiscal Sponsor) · Studio 4707 (Venue Partner)