UMBC understands what it takes to grow and build a company. It's the entrepreneurial spirit fostered by their leader, Freeman Habrowski, III, that drives their efforts to support the regional business community. "[He] blends academia, business, and government in a way that makes us unique and creative in supporting the growth of technology-led companies," the university notes. In addition to educating future business leaders, UMBC possesses two major research and development complexes, techcenter@UMBC and bwtech@UMBC, located near the school's main campus in Catonsville. These facilities comprise 500,000 square feet of office and lab space, and are home to more than 40 technology and bioscience companies. Recently, many of these companies have been in the news with their great success, including GBTC Members such as InVitro Technologies, Invoke Systems, BDMetrics, and AVIcode.

It's this investment in Greater Baltimore's technology community that has driven UMBC to be a strong supporter of the GBTC since its inception. A member since 1999, the university has been involved in a variety of capacities, and comments that the GBTC "embodies a thriving networking climate that fosters innovative business development opportunities." Their involvement can be seen in almost every program the GBTC runs: Ellen Hemmerly represents UMBC on the Board of Directors, they've sponsored the BETA Award at TechNite for three years running, and currently participate in the Marketing Roundtable. In addition, a number of tenants from bwtech@UMBC and techcenter@UMBC are a part of many programs - including GBTechNet groups, Executive Roundtables, Early Adopter, and more. Of all these programs, UMBC highlights TechNite as their favorite, commenting that "with a dynamic program and nearly 1,000 in attendance from the business and technology community, we are sure to be energized and recommitted to helping our innovative companies thrive for years to come!"