Clasp (formerly known as Stride Funding) has closed an oversubscribed venture round of over $10 million led by Crosslink Capital, bringing the total funding to over $30 million. Other new strategic investors include SHRM and individuals like Marc Weill, whose family is known for its contributions to leading healthcare institutions.
Clasp’s retention-driven recruitment platform addresses talent shortages by helping employers recruit and retain critical talent in hard-to-hire fields. Its focus is on reducing student debt and driving long-term commitments between employers and employees. This rebrand reflects Clasp’s evolving mission to solve recruitment and retention challenges through a forward-looking approach that benefits both sides of the employment equation.
Supporting over 10,000 individuals on its platform, Clasp is currently focused on the healthcare industry with partnerships with healthcare systems ranging from academic, pediatric, home health, optometry, and veterinary organizations. And Clasp also works with one of the largest semiconductor companies and has plans to expand into other hard-to-hire industries as the company grows.
Clasp’s model addresses this issue by forming strong, lasting bonds between employers and employees. It also widens candidate pools across a national network of universities and training programs, matching current students with healthcare institutions that commit to repaying their student loans over a multi-year work commitment.
For students, Clasp offers financial relief, a future unburdened by student loan debt, and the assurance of a job after graduation. And for healthcare institutions, Clasp delivers a steady pipeline of committed talent, from nurses to radiologic technologists to respiratory therapists—while reducing recruitment costs, eliminating the need for signing bonuses, contract labor, etc.
The new company name, Clasp, was created by A Hundred Monkeys. The new brand identity was developed by Mackey Saturday, known for his work with brands including Instagram and Affirm.
KEY QUOTES:
“We’ve proudly partnered with Clasp for the past two years, and the growth has been remarkable. As our collaboration has evolved, we’ve successfully increased our candidate pool while building a strong pipeline of healthcare professionals to meet our long-term goals. This program strengthens our dedication to ensuring the financial well-being of our talent, as well as maintaining high-quality care for our patients.”
-Shaughn Korpalski, Senior Manager of Campus, Branding, and ED&I at MyEyeDr
“The healthcare recruitment system is broken. Healthcare institutions are competing for a shrinking talent pool and using band-aids like sign-on bonuses that don’t improve retention and just perpetuate a leaky bucket. At the same time, new clinical talent faces massive debt and long waits for loan forgiveness. Clasp addresses both problems with a model that’s better for everyone.”
-Tess Michaels, founder and CEO of Clasp
“Clasp is fundamentally reshaping how we solve some of the most pressing workforce challenges of our time. Their ability to align educational investment with career advancement not only addresses the student debt crisis but also creates a sustainable, high-impact solution for industries struggling with chronic talent shortages. Clasp’s model isn’t just innovative—it’s transformative, and we are proud to back their bold vision to revolutionize recruitment and retention across healthcare and beyond.”
-Gabby Contro, Partner at Crosslink Capital
