Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

#WaltonCollege has jumped to No. 22 in The Princeton Review’s 2025 Top 50 Entrepreneurship Graduate Programs — up 10 spots from last year! 📈👏 This achievement highlights the power of cross-campus collaboration and a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in #NWArk. Congratulations to everyone involved! Some factors the Princeton Review editorial team considered when deciding rankings: 📚 The core courses of the #UARK graduate program, New Venture Development I & II, are integrated into multiple degree programs across campus, lending the program a unique interdisciplinary structure.   🚀 The ability to provide multiple resources for student-founded companies, such as the #HeartlandChallenge Student Startup Competition, Startup Village, the Entrepreneurial Law Project and the Venture Mentoring Services program.   🌱 A track record of alumni ventures — In the last three years, companies formed by students and recent alumni of the program include Hidalga Tech, ProPika, Celludot Llc, Lapovations, LLC, LockStop, PushKin, GammaVet and Horizon Health Solutions. Let's get connected: https://lnkd.in/eNgfcbj #StartSomethingAR #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

Welcome back, Razorbacks! It’s a new year, a new semester, and the perfect time to level up your entrepreneurial journey at #UARK! 🐗💡 Entrepreneurship & Innovation at UARK is your gateway to: ⚡ Cutting-edge innovation spaces ⚡ Networking with changemakers from every discipline ⚡ Turning your passion into a product, project, or purpose-driven business Spring 2025 Highlights: 📅 Workshops to help sharpen your skills 🤝 Networking events to connect with visionary minds 💡 Resources like our Side Hustle Hub for students running businesses or ready to turn an idea into reality 🔥 Fun fact: Did you know #NWArk captured the majority of venture capital in 2023? Now’s the time to dive in and start building your future! Get connected today: https://lnkd.in/eNgfcbj #StartSomethingAR #Entrepreneurship #Innovation

The #Arkansas Global Cycling Accelerator has officially launched in to attract a cohort of exceptional startups from North America, Europe, and Asia. 🚴♂️🌍 This new initiative, based in #Bentonville, will be led by cycling industry veterans and entrepreneurial experts. The accelerator will offer a 10-week hybrid program designed to support cycling-related tech innovation, provide access to key investors and mentors, and build strategic partnerships with top brands in the industry. Arkansas, with its dense cycling community and world-class infrastructure, provides the perfect backdrop for this ambitious project. It will be led by staff from Startup Junkie Foundation and OEI's Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (#GORP). 🌱⛰️ Want to change the future of cycling? Apply now to be a part of AGCA's inaugural cohort! Apply: https://lnkd.in/gmYJr7F6 #StartSomethingAR #CyclingInnovation #GlobalStartups

We're proud to share that #UARK's Hidalga Tech has been selected for VentureWell's winter 2025 E-Team Program Cohort. 🚀🎓 Hidalga is developing artificial intelligence (AI)–powered software that automates data transfer between clinics’ electronic medical record systems and insurance portals, reducing administrative workloads and enhancing the accuracy of prior authorizations to improve patient care in specialty healthcare clinics. The team includes Joshua Upshaw and Sankalp Pandey. David Hinton, MBA, PhD, RTTP is their principal investigator. 👥💡 Hidalga will be among 22 student ventures that were selected for their novel science- and technology-based solutions to critical challenges facing the environment, healthcare, and society. Meet the full cohort: https://lnkd.in/g-Pmsubh #StartSomethingAR #HealthTech #Innovation

#NWArk continues to lead venture capital activity in the state, capturing the majority of deals in 2023 according to the Arkansas Capital Scan. 🚀💼 However, the report also highlights critical gaps in early-stage funding, with a 13.6% drop in average deal size for the region. Key takeaways: 🔑 NWA leads in deal count and value, driving sectors like health care and IT. 🔑 Early-stage funding remains a challenge, with limited support for pre-revenue startups. 🔑 Progress in equitable funding, with diverse founders receiving 24.5% of venture capital statewide. The Northwest Arkansas Council and the University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation are tackling these gaps through initiatives like the Venture Capital Immersions Series and StartupNWA Hub, connecting startups with investors and resources. These efforts are building a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem and solidifying NWA’s position as an innovation hub. Learn more about the findings and opportunities in the full report: https://lnkd.in/gfFDxgBp #StartSomethingAR #VentureCapital #EconomicDevelopment

Take your student startup to the global stage at the University of Arkansas 2025 Heartland Challenge.🌍✨ The Heartland Challenge Startup Competition is calling all graduate student entrepreneurs to compete for the chance to showcase their ideas and build connections that drive success while competing for a $100,000 prize pool! 🗓️ Key Details: 🔹 Applications are OPEN NOW for the 2025 competition 🔹 In-person semifinal & final rounds: April 3-5, 2025, in #Bentonville, AR 🔹 Info Session: Dec. 18 at 11:00 a.m. CT via Zoom Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! Start your application today. 💻 Zoom session RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gyPhG4h9 📝 Heartland Challenge applications: https://lnkd.in/dGq5QeA #StartSomethingAR #HeartlandChallenge #StudentInnovation

"Sober Sidekick by Empathy Health Tech ... was recently named the fastest-growing digital product in #NorthAmerica by well-known analytics platform Amplitude." 📱📈 #HealthTech #ARbiz #Innovation

Congratulations to Joshua Upshaw and Hidalga Tech, a spinout company from the University of Arkansas and a recent graduate of our New Venture Development program, on being named a top 50 finalist for the 2025 Baylor New Venture Competition hosted by Baylor Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation! #weARinnovators #startherearkansas #innovation #entrepreneurship

Applications close Dec. 12 for the spring 2025 Design Teams in the McMillon Innovation Studio! 🛠️🌍 Open to students of all majors, the studio is a hub for future leaders and changemakers looking to develop their creative mindsets and make a meaningful impact. ➡️ Apply now: https://lnkd.in/g446-zCX Design Teams focus on three dynamic impact tracks: organizational, social impact, and entrepreneurial. Whether you're solving pressing industry problems, driving social change, or advancing your own startup ideas, you'll use human-centered design principles to create innovative solutions. 💡📈 Previous teams have improved systems for local food banks, supported psychiatric care, and reimagined autonomous vehicle hubs. #StartSomethingAR #Innovation #SocialImpact

We've capped another incredible semester of student innovation with Demo Day and a special visit from Walmart CEO Doug McMillon! 🎓💡 From developing new products for #GenZ to creating a companies postpartum program at Community Clinic, the McMillon Innovation Studio is making a difference in #NWArk. Product Design Teams Winner: Community Clinic NWA 🏥 Project Manager: Valeria Mazariegos Team members: Marielis Cubero-Perez, Sierra Greiner, Ellis Freel Social Impact Design Team Winner: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 🖼️ Project Manager: Ellis Freel Team members: Parker Moore, Alyson McWilliams, Isabella Boulware, Menghan Zhang Organizational Design Team Winner: Sam's Club 🛒 Project Manager: Kaisei Yamauchi Team Members: Dylan Clark, William Scholl, Ada Monteys, Mya Negley, Hannah Dryden Audience Choice Award: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. 🚚 Project Manager: Philip Nuñez Team Members: Amna Khan, Brett Harrelson, Diego Ignacio Peredo Yshiy Joshua Yustana, Soumya Kolluru The Studio serves as an innovation hub to students across campus and works to develop future leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators by cultivating their creative mindset and connecting them to opportunities to make real-world impact. 🧠🚀 Start your innovation journey at the Studio: https://lnkd.in/gk8_DXJw 📸 by Chieko Hara #StartSomethingAR #FutureLeaders #DesignThinking