Find Your Grind raises $5M to grow platform empowering students to explore unique career paths

Nick Gross, the drummer for the band Goldfinger, is now empowering young people to pursue their passions through his career exploration platform, Find Your Grind. The platform highlights alternative professions often overlooked in schools, including being a pop-punk band member, content creator, social media manager, or even a professional esports player.

The company announced on Tuesday that it has raised $5 million in a 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. The investment will help expand the company’s career readiness programs across the U.S.

Gross began his music career at 17 when his high school band, Open Air Stereo, gained significant exposure after being featured on MTV’s reality series Laguna Beach. Inspired by his own experiences, Gross conceived Find Your Grind after hosting students in his studio and observing the challenges they face exploring career options, often due to a lack of exposure 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 navigate their next steps. Find Your Grind gives them the tools to explore not just what careers are out there, but what paths suit their strengths, interests, and visions for their futures.”

Image Credits: Find Your Grind

Conventional career guidance often emphasises salaries and promotions, which can feel disconnected from the rapidly evolving job market. Many students today no longer aspire to traditional roles like doctors, engineers, or lawyers. The World Economic Forum predicts that approximately 92 million jobs won’t exist in 2030. Traditional guidance also overlooks the emotional aspect of choosing a career aligned with a person’s values and desired lifestyle.

The platform focuses on four key competencies: self-awareness, career awareness, social awareness, and action awareness. It features a Lifestyle Assessment that helps students identify three lifestyle paths based on their preferences—such as entertainer, creator, or humanitarian—and provides a tailored plan for what to do after graduation.

Students can access videos, interactive lessons, and mentorship from industry figures like Tony Hawk, Tony Hoffman, and will.i.am. An AI-powered “Reflective Coach” offers personalised feedback, encouraging students to dive deeper for better insights.

Image Credits: Find Your Grind

In addition, Find Your Grind runs workforce development initiatives, such as lifestyle fairs, which give students real-world experience. The company is launching its first program in Oklahoma City, partnering with local schools and training centres to help students discover hometown job opportunities that align with their lifestyle preferences. Plans are in place to expand these programs to more cities.

To date, Find Your Grind has helped 100,000 students, and Gross hopes that “over a million students” will join the platform to become “more future-ready.”