David Hinton has been named to the 2024 Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 class.

As executive director of the U of A Technology Ventures, he provides campus leadership for commercialization efforts, including leading the strategy for intellectual property protection and commercialization and overseeing licensing of intellectual property created at the university. Hinton was selected for inclusion in the 40 Under 40 class from more than 400 nominees.

"We're thrilled to see David honored by Arkansas Business for his great work at the U of A," said Mike Malone, vice chancellor for economic development. "We value his deep expertise in technology commercialization and his collaborative spirit, and it's great to see his efforts recognized throughout the state."

The recognition comes at a time when the Northwest Arkansas region has been hailed as an "innovation hotspot" by Axios for its 144% increase in patents issued per 100,000 residents in the past decade. Much of this growth is attributable to outstanding performance at the U of A and Technology Ventures.

Promoted to executive director of Technology Ventures in 2023, Hinton has led the U of A to a top 25 ranking in technology transfer and technology commercialization among universities without a medical school, based on a report from Heartland Forward. Tech Ventures is performing at historic levels, with intellectual property disclosures up by 60% compared to the office's historical average, the total number of new innovations that are licensed up by 84% and gross licensing revenue up by 174%. The number of unique innovators that Technology Ventures has served is also up 60% compared to the office's historical average. In addition, 45% of U of A invention disclosures received and 46% of patents that issue include at least one female inventor — more than twice the participation rate that is seen nationally.

"I am incredibly honored by this recognition," Hinton said. "I am excited by the progress that Technology Ventures has been able to make so far and the impact we are having by getting products developed at the University of Arkansas into the market that solve problems and make people's lives easier. I am grateful for the Technology Ventures team that inspires innovators, bridges the gap between discovery and market-driven application and fosters culture where every idea has the potential to change the world."

Hinton will be honored at the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 event on June 11 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. He holds a doctorate in neurobiology from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where he focused on pharmacology, neuroscience and personalized medicine. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Alabama.