Founder Education + Startup Ecosystem Strategy
Role
FOUNDER EDUCATION
WORKSHOP DESIGN
CONTENT STRATEGY
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
STARTUP ECOSYSTEM COMMUNICATIONS
Cintrifuse supports founders and startups through workspace, resources, and connections to major corporations.
As an Altman Summer Scholar and Growth Strategy Intern, I worked across founder programming, communications, and community engagement, later continuing in a contract role through the end of the year.
Strategic Approach
I began by conducting empathy interviews with startup founders to better understand the skills, resources, and support they felt were missing. Using those insights, I developed more than six months of programming and interactive workshops designed to strengthen founder capabilities in areas such as growth, strategy, and business development.
In parallel, I partnered with the CEO to create a video series highlighting emerging companies within the Cincinnati startup ecosystem, which at the time included over 100 active startups and dozens of corporate partners. The series elevated founder stories while reinforcing Cintrifuse’s role as a central connector between startups and BigCos. I also served as a point of communication with startups across the community, supporting engagement and relationship-building with founders, investors, and program partners throughout the year.
A Closer Look
Co-facilitated a week-long executive workshop for St. Elizabeth Hospital, guiding leaders through journey mapping, brainstorming, defining problem and insight statements, and developing customer personas to enhance organizational understanding of user needs.
BRAND REFRESH
Developed pop-up banners and visual assets for the Procter & Gamble Signal Satellite event at Union Hall, helping create a professional, immersive experience for top executives from the global company.
BRAND REFRESH
Designed and launched a monthly hands-on workshop series for startups, combining casual dinners with expert-led skill-building sessions. Leveraged empathy interviews, iterative design, and user-centered methods to tailor programming to diverse founding teams, helping them acquire practical business skills and tools for growth.