Founded by a group of seasoned technology professionals, LaunchFuel provides crucial, timely, experience-based guidance critical to building successful and sustainable new ventures. The members of our team each arrive at LaunchFuel with years of hands-on experience in creating, building, and launching technology-related businesses.

Mary Knebel
Chief Executive Officer
mknebel@launchfuel.com

Mary is responsible for securing partnerships with leading universities, research institutions, corporations and government agencies to commercialize intellectual property, as well as for providing strategic business advisory services to portfolio companies. Prior to co-founding LaunchFuel, she was a senior engagement manager at Proxicom, an e-business consulting and development company that delivers Internet-based solutions and applications for Global 1000 companies. Her responsibilities at Proxicom included supervising the technical and creative staff to ensure high quality deliverables for strategic accounts. From 1995 - 1998, she worked for PSINet, the first commercial Internet service provider. She acted in several capacities, including product management and business development, as well as leading the marketing efforts for the ISP wholesale division. Mary began her marketing career with the Washington Redskins, where she was a public relations assistant. She is the founder and Chairperson of Raise the Bar, a non-profit initiative that strives to deepen business relationships for women in technology. She also serves as a board member of the George Mason University Century Club, a non-profit organization that fosters program-related partnerships between the university and the metropolitan area business community. She is a 2001 graduate of Mindshare, a Washington, D.C. area program that selects leaders of promising early stage technology firms to form a networking community while examining topics of interest to technology start-up executives.  Mary attended Virginia Tech and George Mason University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Tom Gillespie
Chief Operating Officer
tgillespie@launchfuel.com

Tom works with new ventures on business strategy; business plan development, refinement, and implementation; financial modeling; and market research and competitive analysis; he is also responsible for internal LaunchFuel operations. Prior to co-founding LaunchFuel, he directed numerous business and technology strategy projects for clients ranging in size from Fortune 100 companies to Internet startup firms for AT&T Solutions, the professional services unit of AT&T (NYSE: T). Previous to joining AT&T, Tom led project teams at Silicon Valley Global Trading Center, advising technology startups on strategies for entering international markets. His experience also includes positions at International Information Systems and the United States Congress. Tom earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Eileen O'Connor
Venture Partner
eoconnor@launchfuel.com

Eileen is responsible for securing strategic partnerships and identifying high potential intellectual property within research institutions.  She also serves in a management capacity within LaunchFuel portfolio companies.   Prior to joining LaunchFuel in May 2000, Eileen was an Engagement Manager at A.T. Kearney, a management consulting firm where she led project teams in formulating business strategies for financial services companies in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. From 1997 - 1999, she was based in Singapore and helped build A.T. Kearney’s Financial Institutions practice across Asia. Previously, Eileen was a Senior Manager at Peterson Consulting, Ltd (1989 - 1992), an Associate at Citibank, N.A., Global Strategies and Analysis, (1993) and founded and sold a mail-order jewelry business. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree with highest honors from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.