# Brian Hinman

> Brian L. Hinman is an electrical engineer and serial founder whose companies include PictureTel, Polycom, 2Wire, Mimosa Networks and SiFly. He leads SiFly, which develops long-endurance electric drones, and funded the University of Maryland’s Hinman CEOs entrepreneurship program.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at SiFly
- **Organizations:** SiFly, PictureTel, Polycom, 2Wire, Mimosa Networks, Oak Investment Partners, University of Maryland, Hinman CEOs Program
- **Education:** B.S. in Electrical Engineering, summa cum laude, University of Maryland, College Park, S.M. in Electrical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Co-founded PictureTel, Polycom, 2Wire, Mimosa Networks and SiFly., Funded the Hinman CEOs entrepreneurship program., Inducted into the Clark School’s Innovation Hall of Fame in 2000.

## Career timeline

- **1982** — Graduated from the University of Maryland in electrical engineering.
- **1984** — Completed his MIT master’s degree and co-founded PictureTel.
- **1990** — Co-founded Polycom, subsequently serving as CEO.
- **1998** — Co-founded 2Wire, serving as president and CEO.
- **1999** — Funded the Hinman CEOs Program at Maryland; residential intake began in fall 2000.
- **2000** — Inducted into the Clark School’s Innovation Hall of Fame.
- **2006** — Joined Oak Investment Partners as a venture partner.
- **2012** — Co-founded Mimosa Networks.
- **2021** — Founded SiFly in November.
- **2025** — SiFly’s Q12 completed a Guinness-recognized flight on July 26.
- **2026** — SiFly announced a $20 million Series A on August 26.

## Achievements

- Co-founded PictureTel, Polycom, 2Wire, Mimosa Networks and SiFly.
- Funded the Hinman CEOs entrepreneurship program.
- Inducted into the Clark School’s Innovation Hall of Fame in 2000.
- Received Maryland’s Ralph J. Tyser Medallion in 2003.
- Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Communications and Networking in 2005.
- Honored as a University of Maryland Distinguished Alumnus in 2006.
- Led SiFly when Q12 achieved a 3:11:54 Guinness-recognized flight in the 5-20 kg electric multirotor prototype category.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — SiFly announced a $20 million Series A led by Shield Capital to scale production and deliveries and advance DronePort development.
- **2026-04** — Discussed endurance, aerodynamics, noise and hardware development on Hangar X Studios.
- **2026-02** — Appeared with John Donovan on Explain to Shane to discuss drones.
- **2025-08** — SiFly announced Guinness recognition for Q12’s July 26 flight lasting 3:11:54.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianlhinman

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-hinman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24