Rapper and entrepreneur Nas adds another business venture to his portfolio. He
is partnering with educational company Koru to assist top graduates in making
successful college-to-career transitions with high-growth firms. The Nas Scholarship
Fund will provide financial aid to selected students, with the legendary rapper also
doubling as a real-world coach. Additionally, Nas and his investment company
Queensbridge Venture Partners have made a significant investment in Koru.“I know
how hard it can be to carve out your path and purpose in life,” says Nas in a statement
announcing the partnership. “The young people going through Koru are gritty, book smart
and street smart. The program gives them an opportunity to put those smarts to work.
I can’t wait to work directly with them and share what I’ve learned through my own life
experiences.”
The Nas affiliation is the latest step in the expansion of Koru’s employer-embedded,
month-long training programs. Launched last October by co-founder/COO Kristen
Hamilton and co-founder/chief learning officer Josh Jarrett, Seattle-based Koru is
working in tandem with such high-growth companies as zulily, Payscale and REI.
Among Koru’s 13 founding college partners in the enterprise are Bates, Pomona,
Brown, USC and Georgetown. The goal is to rectify a sobering fact. According to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 50 percent of recent college graduates
are unemployed or underemployed.
The first Nas scholarship recipients will participate in the June program. That session
as well as the July session will take place in Seattle. Come September, Koru will begin
offering programs in Seattle and San Francisco.
Source: Billboard