Isenberg Senior Builds Million-Dollar Startup While Earning UMass Amherst Degree

When senior Elijah Khasabo arrived at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst last semester as a transfer student, he already had something most business students only dream about: a fast-growing startup and a clear vision of what he wanted to build.

Today, the 22-year-old marketing major from Northborough, Mass., is a cofounder and the CEO of Vidovo, a creator-powered content platform that connects brands with user-generated content (UGC) creators at scale. The company, which launched in July 2023, recently crossed $1 million in revenue and has been featured in media outlets including Fortune and Yahoo! Finance.

“We’ve worked with over 200 brands so far and keep adding new ones every month,” Khasabo said. “We’ve grown to more than 17,000 creators, all organic, no paid ads. It’s all word of mouth.”

Vidovo’s client roster includes brands such as Olipop, Jersey Mike’s, and Physician’s Choice. Most are direct-to-consumer and retail companies that want to scale creator content without manually managing hundreds of influencers. For those marketing teams, Vidovo makes it possible to source and test large volumes of authentic video content quickly and efficiently.

The Path to Becoming a Founder

Khasabo’s path to software founder started with a string of early failures, something all too familiar to many a business founder. While studying at Massachusetts Bay Community College, he experimented with several e-commerce stores that didn’t take off. Everything changed, however, when he hired a UGC creator for one of his products and saw how authentic, lo-fi video could outperform professionally produced and edited ads.

“I thought, ‘This is pretty cool’—people making real videos that feel natural and convert way better than polished ads,” he said.

He launched a small agency with about 15 creators producing videos for brands. One of those clients (co-founder Channing Defoe) later became his business partner and proposed building a software platform so brands and creators could directly work together.

“That’s how Vidovo was born,” said Khasabo. “We wanted brands and creators to connect with us without having to sit in the middle of every deal. Now brands spend thousands on the platform without our having to lift a finger. That’s when it hit me: Software scales way better than services ever could.”

The Value of a College Education Remains Strong

Even as Vidovo grew, Khasabo chose to continue his education. He transferred to UMass Amherst through the MassTransfer Program and enrolled at Isenberg as a marketing major.

And as a Gen Z founder, Khasabo, who plans to graduate in May 2026, often hears the question: “If your company is growing this fast, why stay in school?”

For him, the answer comes down to structure and growth.

“I’ve always been a scrappy kid, not super structured, kind of went against the rules my whole life,” he said. “I think Isenberg has given me something I was missing: structure. Running a startup can be messy at times, and being forced to balance school and business made me figure out systems to stay organized.

“At Isenberg, I’d say the biggest thing has been learning how to think in systems, not just ideas,” Khasabo added. “I’m a marketing major, and since I work in that field every day, most of what I hear I’m applying in real time already.”

He pointed to Professor Allison Werder’s “Brand Strategy” course as a standout academic experience.

“It’s honestly one of the most real-world classes I’ve taken,” Khasabo said. “You get into brand strategy and how those things play out in real companies. You can tell students genuinely care about the class, and that says a lot.”

Isenberg’s emphasis on group projects has also shaped the way he leads and collaborates at Vidovo.

“I’m a big believer in networking and learning from people, and group projects force you to collaborate with different personalities and skill sets,” he said. “I get to share what I know, but I also pick up a ton from other students.”

For prospective students considering Isenberg, Khasabo’s advice is simple: Be proactive and intentional with your time.

“I’d tell them to talk to as many people as they can,” he said. “Test ideas, fail, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You can’t build anything if you don’t know how to connect with people. When I came to Isenberg, Vidovo was already growing, but I knew how much relationships matter in the real world. You never know who ends up becoming a teammate, a client, or someone who helps you down the line.”

Looking Ahead

Khasabo plans to continue scaling Vidovo after he graduates. The company has eight employees, including an Isenberg student intern supporting content and digital marketing, and he expects revenue to triple next year as the platform adds more brands and creators.

“Does it feel surreal? Kind of,” he said. “When I think back to the early days when no one took it seriously, it’s wild to see how far we’ve come. But I also know we’re just getting started. We’ve done this without taking a single dollar from investors. Just two guys building from scratch. That’s what keeps me fired up about what’s ahead.”