Nasir Jones, known to the world as Nas, has received accolades both within the hip-hop community and in the world of business. His newest investment is in the future. Nas has teamed up with Seattle-based company, Koru, to help make sure the new generation is prepared for the real world. The rapper-advocate-activist donated $100,000 from his investment company, Queensbridge Venture Partners, to help push the start-up program forward with its mission to create a sustainable work force.
The Nas Scholarship fund is available to recent college graduates who want to gain industry insight and gainful employment with companies like REI and the clothing site Zulily.
Koru is not a nonprofit and each enrollee pays $2,750 to participate in the intense “boot camp” where students do actual work assigned to them by the participating company. According to Koru, students are not turned away due to lack of finances and can receive scholarships, given on a case-by-case basis. These situation specific scholarships are exactly where the newly donated funds from Nas will go.
Currently, 100 students have graduated from the program and with the new donation, the company hopes to increase enrollment. With Nas joining the cause, hopefully his celebrity will encourage more donors to support the budding program.
Not only has Nas donated his money, but for a select group, Nas will be their real-world coach. Nas serves as an inspiration to the future. Even though the rapper and businessman dropped out of school in the eighth grade, he has worked hard to create a better future for himself and is paying it forward.
In a statement released, Nas expressed his enthusiasm for working with the program.
“I’m inspired to support Koru participants because I know how hard it can be to carve out your path and purpose in life. It takes conviction, hard work and the right network. The young people going through Koru are gritty, book smart and street smart. The Koru 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.”
