Betsy O'Neill Collie joins Harbor Launch team
Betsy O’Neill Collie started at IMET as the Harbor Launch Business Development Manager in September of 2019. She has a marketing and business development background with a strong focus on the Maryland startup community. Her experience helping companies grow as well as her professional contacts make her a great resource to companies in IMET’s Harbor Launch incubator.
Harbor Launch companies are often in the early stages of developing their businesses and need advice and assistance as they come up against new challenges. Betsy provides insights, connections, and resources that complement the expertise offered to Harbor Launch companies by Dr. Nina Lamba, IMET’s Assistant Director, and Steve Davey, IMET’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence.
Throughout her career, Betsy has worked in a variety of roles in the Baltimore startup community. Soon after graduating from Towson University, she joined the Maryland office of a national startup where she worked for 21 years. In 2010, Betsy became a Director of Business Development for r2integrated, a Baltimore-based startup, and helped establish r2i as one of the top enterprise digital marketing agencies in the region. In 2014, ready to create a more flexible lifestyle with her children, she started her own consultancy called SpringWood Ventures, LLC. As a consultant, Betsy has worked with a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations in the capacity of “Outsourced Business Development and Marketing.” Most recently, she worked at UMBC’s bwtech for the International CyberCenter, the World Trade Center Institute, Maryland Business Innovation Network, and a myriad of other emerging business.
Betsy’s passion is to connect people to possibilities and she has been fully immersed in the Maryland startup community for many years. She said, “My goal is to leverage my connections and marketing experience so that innovators and entrepreneurs can be successful.” She will help Harbor Launch companies connect with mentors, resources, and clients to grow their businesses.
Since 2016, Harbor Launch Companies have also benefited from the mentorship of Steve Davey. He is the CEO of Fiberight Global Holding, a next generation recycling company, and the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harbor Launch. Steve has personal experience turning an idea into a business. After more than 20 years working in the corporate world, he set out on his own, seeking greater independence and the excitement of growing a business. Because of his experience building several companies from the ground up, Steve is a great resource for advice on financial models, making a first hire, and doing market research for a new service or product. More importantly, Steve excels at asking entrepreneurs important questions. He asks each Harbor Launch company he advises, “Who’s your customer? What problem are you trying to solve?” The answers to these questions are at the heart of any business, but entrepreneurs are sometimes so deeply engrossed in their idea or invention that they need to be asked to take a step back and see the bigger picture.
Dr. Nina Lamba leads the entrepreneur programs at IMET including the Ratcliffe Environmental Entrepreneur Fellowship (REEF) and Harbor Launch. She also brings a range of experience in entrepreneurship in the life sciences. You can read more about the company she started, her work with the Maryland Department of Commerce, and how she structures the REEF program to educate science students in business by clicking here. Nina said, “Betsy, Steve, and I make an ideal team to support Harbor Launch companies. With Betsy’s enthusiasm and deep connections to startups in Baltimore, Steve’s knowledge of business plans and financing, and my determination to find and leverage any available resources, we’re in a great position to help these entrepreneurs succeed.”