Nas is bringing his life experiences to Seattle based company, Koru, to launch a new college scholarship fund. The aim is to help students transition into the workforce with financial support. The New York Times reports that the rapper has invested $100,000 into the company and intends to work directly with the first crop of students.

“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,” Nas said in a statement. “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.”

The scholarship will cover 10 students’ tuition for the first year. Connected through a mutual friend, Koru Founder Kristen Hamilton believes the Queens-bred rapper is a good pairing for her students and company’s mission statement.

“What companies are looking for,” Ms. Hamilton said, “is for people with the capacity to come up against a wall and think about what they’ll do when they get through it or around it rather than about how thick the wall is, or how challenging. This has been Nas’ reality. He didn’t go to college–he studied in the school of the real world, and became a successful artist and businessperson. He didn’t have his way paved for him. He embodies the notion of grit. So we started talking about how we could work together.”

Koru’s programs involves putting students – mostly college juniors, seniors or recent graduates – into situations where their projects might lead to job with partner companies. Koru’s students experience solving specific, real-world problems in company settings as well as negotiating. Nas will join the company’s army of coaches.

“We want him to talk about how he persevered under duress, what challenges he faced in building his business, in building financial structures,” Ms. Hamilton said. “We want him to focus on how you become personally and professionally effective – how you take ownership of your life and your career.”