Alizeh Khalifa

I currently work at LaunchNET Kent State University as the Assistant Director of Marketing, where I can put my creativity and problem solving skills to use by supporting student, alumni, and community entrepreneurs through digital marketing, event planning, and business advising. With our digital marketing efforts I take the lead on managing our email newsletter, curating and creating our social media content, and building out an accurate representation of our brand and community for our entrepreneurs to connect with. For program and event planning I organize our yearly calendar of opportunities with the goal always being to prioritize our entrepreneurs needs and make sure the activities and collaborating partners we are finding will provide them with tangible value. Business advising gives me the chance to work directly with our clients and guide them on key areas of their ventures such as business planning, defining and finding their customers, and ways to market their business to acquire sales and brand recognition.

I graduated with my Bachelor's in Marketing in 2018 and earned a Master's of Science in Emerging Media and Technology in 2024. I've been working in digital marketing and social media for the past 8 years, specifically within the small business and startup ecosystem in Northeast Ohio. Within that ecosystem I also work part-time with SEA Change as a program coordinator to facilitate their Northeast Ohio social enterprise accelerator and guide participating entrepreneurs in growing their venture. On the side, I take on freelance graphic design work and advising around social media and marketing efforts for small businesses. I fell into the entrepreneurship world during my undergrad through an internship. This internship introduced me to just how vast the startup ecosystem here was and I kept pushing to get more involved and learn about about entrepreneurship from all angles. The energy in this environment and the genuine enthusiasm around what people are working on had me hooked instantly. I'm fortunate to have grown a career in this area and be able to support the individuals that inspire me on a daily basis.