A Message To The BetaDen Community In Memory of Linda Smith

It’s with deep sadness that we share this message with the BetaDen community.

Almost all of you will know personally or at least have heard of Linda Smith. Linda was the founder and ex-CEO of BetaDen, and was a force of nature in the technology community in Worcestershire and beyond.

She shepherded the first four Cohorts of BetaDen Accelerate through to successful Showcases, building BetaDen’s signature Accelerate programme, its network of Mentors and its reputation along the way.

Linda kept BetaDen going through the sudden restrictions of Covid and the switch to an online Showcase at short notice, before taking some time off to travel and recharge.

Post BetaDen, Linda remained engaged with technology through national and regional involvement with the UKC3 - UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration and Midlands Cyber networks, and she kept in contact with many of the technology businesses she met along the way, always pleased to hear about their progress.

Her personal network and knowledge were vast, as was her commitment to supporting innovation and technology development.

The BetaDen team are devastated by Linda’s sudden passing at the end of June 2025. It is with great sadness that we reflect on this, but her legacy remains powerfully present in the work she began and the community she helped build.

She will be greatly missed by the many colleagues and friends she made throughout a lifetime of energy and achievement, but most of all by her daughter Faye.

Our thoughts are with Linda’s family, friends and loved ones at this difficult time. If you would like to share a message or memory for the family, we would be honoured to pass it on.

- The BetaDen Team