Anatomy of a VC Deal: How One Seattle Startup Raised $12.5 Million

Kristen Hamilton knew she needed to raise capital to get her Seattle-based startup off the ground. She and co-founder Josh Jarrett spent half of 2013 developing Koru, an immersive business program that gives recent college grads real-world job skills and positions them for rewarding entry-level work.  

That fall, the pair enlisted a handful of Whitman College graduates to participate in a weeklong pilot program at REI’s corporate offices. The goal: develop a presentation for senior REI executives detailing how the retailer of outdoor gear and clothing could appeal to young consumers.

The week was a success. Besides nailing the presentation, the budding professionals gained tangible workplace experience and newfound confidence. 

“The intention is to obliterate the statistic that 53 percent of college grads are underemployed or unemployed,” says Hamilton, Koru’s CEO. “We’re fixing a problem for employers, too, because it turns out that employers struggle to figure out who the right hires are when people don’t have a lot of experience.”