Weston Waldo has been named venture development program manager in the Office of Technology Ventures. Waldo, whose name is 王卫地 in Chinese, began his appointment on Oct. 1 and reports to the acting executive director of Technology Ventures, David Hinton.

"We are thrilled to have Weston on board at Technology Ventures," said Hinton. "He will be integral to our efforts to form and support startup and spinout companies at the U of A and will be an invaluable resource to our researchers by helping them secure funding to commercialize their inventions quickly and efficiently."

In his role as venture development program manager Waldo will lead Technology Ventures' efforts to promote the formation and success of U of A startup and spinout companies based on technologies and creative works owned or managed by the university. He will help drive participation in entrepreneurial programing, including National Science Foundation sponsored I-Corps and programs provided on campus by the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation to de-risk technology. Waldo will work directly with inventions and inventors that represent potential startup and licensing opportunities and serve as a liaison between the startup ecosystems of the U of A and the region.

Waldo brings a wealth of experience to the University of Arkansas. He most recently served as the program director of Texas Tech's NSF I-Corps Southwest Node and Site programs, Global Laboratory for Energy Asset Management and Manufacturing Spark Fund renewable energy fund, Hub FUEL Ag-Tech fund, Prototype fund and Presidents' Innovation fund. In addition, Waldo serves as a national NSF I-Corps adjunct instructor and a NSF SBIR/STTR commercialization reviewer. Prior to his time at Texas Tech, Waldo was the founder and CEO of a biomedical radar, university-IP-based spinoff called yearONE, LLC. In Waldo's free time, he enjoys spending time serving international students and faculty, learning and experiencing different cultures, and studying Chinese.