DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM + INFRASTRUCTURE

At its core, my work at Cintrifuse has been about opening doors—creating greater visibility for Cincinnati as a thriving startup hub and making it easier for anyone, anywhere, to tap into our innovation economy. From building robust digital infrastructure to telling the stories of the founders and companies driving our region forward, every initiative has been focused on one goal: connecting more people to what’s happening here and growing the pipeline of opportunity for startups, investors, and partners alike.

Cincinnati’s Digital Front Door

One of the most important initiatives was launching Cincinnati’s Digital Front Door—a public-facing hub to access the region’s startups, venture capital, resources, and innovation data. I built this from the ground up, integrating platforms like Dealroom and EcoMap, rolling out a marketing and SEO campaign that drove 5,600+ new visits year-to-date. This critical infrastructure now powers discovery and connections for founders, investors, and ecosystem partners across the country.

Multi-Channel Digital + Storytelling

Oversaw all multi-channel digital marketing, press, and content strategy across Cintrifuse, StartupCincy, and Cintrifuse Capital—leading to steady growth in engagement. In 2024 alone, we produced over 1,100 pieces of content and told 168 startup stories, significantly increasing national awareness of Cincinnati as an innovation city.

DONOR ENGAGEMENT + ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Cintrifuse is a unique non-profit blending startup support, venture capital, and BigCo partnerships to fuel innovation and regional economic growth. Unlike typical startup hubs, it acts as both convener and catalyst for the entire ecosystem. To sustain this work, I developed a comprehensive donor engagement and stewardship framework to keep corporate and philanthropic partners closely connected to their impact.

This work included:

• Quarterly impact reports & updates that went beyond numbers to highlight founder stories, job creation, and the ripple effects of investments throughout the region.
• Donor engagement collateral and curated events that brought Cincinnati’s innovation economy to life—showcasing the real people and companies partners are helping to grow.
• Securing grants, fundraising, and sponsorship campaigns that raised over $5M to power Cintrifuse’s mission and ecosystem growth.

I positioned Cintrifuse—and the founders and companies we support—as a critical engine driving our region’s long-term economic longevity. Supporting Cintrifuse means backing founders turning bold ideas into real solutions that address problems across healthcare, climate, education, manufacturing, and beyond.

If there’s a challenge in the world, you can be sure there’s a brilliant startup working to solve it—and we are dedicated to empowering those dreams. My role was to ensure that those who support us deeply understand the meaningful impact of their investment and the lasting change they’re helping to create.

This approach moved donor and corporate relationships beyond transactional sponsorships and annual appeals. It fostered authentic, long-term partnerships rooted in shared outcomes—strengthening ties with major corporate players and philanthropic funders alike.

DIGITAL MARKETING

Prior to 2020, Earlham’s web presence resembled one from the early 2000’s. In order to resonate with the prospective students and donors this presence was completely revamped, from a new website design and SEO campaign to social media strategy and content development.

Another aspect of Earlham’s rebrand was a complete overhaul of its digital strategy. This included a complete refresh of their website which resulted in a redesign in line with the brand guidelines, both visually and contextually, alignment with ADA accessibility standards, and a betterment of the user experience. Through this redesign, Earlham has seen a decrease in bounce rate and an increased amount of time on page. In addition, it carries over the brand from print collateral to the online world, where previously there was a large gap. This website is also completely SEO optimized, allowing Earlham to move into the organized digital space and run campaigns where students are online: social media. 

In regards to social media, this case study will focus on Instagram. This platform has been completely rethought, resulting in a 75% boost in engagement, a gain of ~1,000 followers and an additional 5-10+ followers per week (starting from a base of approximately only 3,000 with little follower change), and a notable decrease in negative social media comments and discussions. More importantly, this strategy has refocused the account to be one of user-generated and relatable content, providing resources for students, social campaigns, and fun, authentic moments. This is a large break from the original strategy, which was largely event-focused and impersonal. You can view the account here.