S5E9: Saving Lives Through Innovation – Birds Up with UTSA Champion & Trauma Tech Leader David Spencer

This powerful episode features David Spencer, a mission-driven entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist whose career bridges a military upbringing, engineering, and life-saving medical innovation.While David is a graduate of UT Austin, his passion for higher education is deeply connected to UT San Antonio. Together with his wife Jennifer, David has become one of UTSA’s most influential supporters, with a shared vision that the university experience should be vibrant, engaging, and memorable—not just a place students attend, but a community where they thrive. Their support spans UTSA Athletics, student life initiatives, leadership, and mentorship programs like Empowered Connections, which pairs women UTSA student-athletes with mentors to support their growth on and off the field.David also reflects on how his military background and engineering education led him to work with the US Air Force at Kelly Air Force Base, and later to launch his first company after the base closed. He credits the UTSA Small Business Development Center as a key resource in learning how to start and scale a business. After successfully selling his first company, David was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to help guide state funding for startups across Texas—expanding his impact on innovation and economic development statewide.Today, David serves as President and CEO of Prytime Medical Devices, where his team develops trauma-care technology designed to slow internal bleeding and buy critical time for patients in life-or-death situations. Initially developed for military use, this technology is also being utilized for civilian trauma care, saving lives far beyond the battlefield.This episode is a compelling look at purpose-driven leadership, the power of mentorship, and how investing in people, education, and innovation can create lasting impact for UTSA, San Antonio, and communities around the world.Listen now, share with your Birds Up crew, and let us know your favorite takeaway. If this episode inspired you, leave a review and help us spread the Roadrunner spirit. Birds Up!Show Notes:UT San Antonio AlumniUT San Antonio Alumni 2026 Diploma DashFive UT San Antonio Projects On the Horizon For 2026UT Health Receives $10 million Grant For Cancer ResearchEmpowered Connections for UTSA Female Student AthletesUTSA AthleticsUT San Antonio Alumni Online Store Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe for more great content! Birds Up!