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If you’re a fan of the punk scene from the early 2000s, you might recognize Nick Gross, the drummer for the band Goldfinger.
Now, it is empowering young people to pursue their passions through its career exploration platform, Find your grind. The platform highlights alternative careers that aren’t typically emphasized in schools, including being a member of a pop punk band, a content creator, a social media manager, and even a professional eSports player.
The company on Tuesday announced a $5 million Series A funding round, bringing its total funding to $8 million. The round was led by Echo Investment Capital, with support from Gross’s investment firm, Gross Labs. This investment will help expand the company’s “career readiness” programs across the United States
Gross began his music career when he was 17 when his high school band, Open Air Stereo, gained fame after appearing on the popular MTV reality series “Laguna Beach.” Inspired by his experience, Gross came up with the idea for Find Your Grind after bringing students into his studio and seeing firsthand the challenges they face when exploring career options, often due to a lack of exposure in traditional schools.
“Young people are entering the rapidly changing world of work,” Gross told TechCrunch. “As students prepare to leave school and enter their careers, many do so without a strong sense of who they are, what they want, or how to navigate their next steps after school. “Find Your Grind gives them the tools to explore not only the careers out there, but also the paths that fit their strengths, interests, and visions of what they want their future to look like,” he said.
Traditional career guidance often focuses on salaries and promotions, but this may seem disconnected from the rapidly evolving job market that the new generation is entering. Many of these students no longer aspire to become doctors, engineers or lawyers. In reality, World Economic Forum It is predicted that approximately 92 million jobs will not exist in 2030.
Traditional career exploration also tends to overlook the emotional aspect of choosing a career that aligns with a person’s values and desired lifestyle.
The startup’s platform focuses on four key competencies: self-awareness, career awareness, social awareness, and process awareness. It also features a lifestyle assessment that helps students identify three lifestyle paths based on their preferences. For example, they may discover that they fit into the roles of artist, creator, or humanitarian. Students then get a personalized next step plan for what to do after graduation.
In addition, students have access to videos and interactive lessons, and a group of mentors provide practical advice about their career beginnings and the steps they took to achieve success. Notable mentors include Tony Hawk, Tony Hoffman, will.i.am and others.
There is also an AI-powered “Reflective Coach” that provides personalized feedback and encourages students to dig deeper into their answers for better insights.
Find Your Grind also runs workforce development initiatives, such as lifestyle fairs, that give students real-world experience. The company is rolling out its first program in Oklahoma City, where it works with local schools and training centers to help students discover job opportunities in their cities that match their lifestyle preferences.
The company plans to launch more programs in additional cities in the future.
So far, Find Your Grind has helped 100,000 students, according to the company. Gross told us he hopes “more than a million students” will join the platform to be “more prepared for the future.”