If you’re a fan of the early 2000s punk scene, you may recognize Nick Gross, the drummer of the band Goldfinger.
Now he is empowering youth to pursue their passion through his career exploration platform, find your pieceThe platform highlights alternative professions that aren’t typically emphasized in schools, including pop-punk band member, content creator, social media manager, and even a professional eSports player,
The company announced a $5 million Series A funding round on Tuesday, bringing its total funding to $8 million. The round was led by Echo Investment Capital, with support from global investment firm, Gross Labs. This investment will help expand the company’s “career readiness” programs across the U.S.
Gross began his music career at the age of 17 when his high school band, Open Air Stereo, gained significant fame after appearing on MTV’s hit reality series “Laguna Beach”. Inspired by her own experience, Gross came up with the idea for Find Your Grind after bringing students into her studio and seeing the challenges they often faced when exploring career options due to a lack of experience in traditional schools.
“Young people are entering a rapidly changing world of work,” Gross told TechCrunch. “As students prepare to leave school and enter their professional careers, many are doing so without a strong sense of who they are, what they want, or how to take their next steps after school. Find Your Grind gives them the tools to explore not only what careers are out there, but which paths are best suited to their strengths, interests, and vision for what they want their future to look like,” he said.
Traditional career guidance often focuses on salary and promotion, but this can feel disconnected from the rapidly evolving job market that new generations are entering. Many of these students no longer aspire to become doctors, engineers or lawyers. In fact, World Economic Forum It is estimated that approximately 92 million jobs will no longer exist in 2030.
Traditional career exploration also ignores the emotional aspect of choosing a career that is in line with a person’s values and desired lifestyle.
The startup’s platform focuses on four core competencies: self-awareness, career awareness, social awareness and action awareness. It also includes a lifestyle assessment that helps students identify three lifestyle paths based on their preferences. For example, they may find that they are better suited to the roles of an entertainer, a creator, or a humanitarian. Students then get a tailored plan for next steps for what to do after graduation.
Additionally, students can access videos and interactive lessons, and a group of mentors provide practical advice about starting their careers and the steps to take to achieve success. Notable gurus include Tony Hawk, Tony Hoffman and will.i.am, among others.
There is also an AI-powered “Reflective Coach” that provides personalized feedback and encourages students to go deeper into their answers for better insight.
Find Your Grind also runs workforce development initiatives such as lifestyle fairs, which give students real-world experience. The company is launching its first program in Oklahoma City, working with local schools and training centers to help students find job opportunities in their hometown that fit their lifestyle preferences.
The company plans to launch more programs in additional cities in the future.
According to the company, Find Your Grind has helped 100,000 students so far. Gross told us he expects “over one million students” to join the platform to be “more prepared for the future.”
