US-based online talent marketplace HourlyNerd has closed a $7.8m series B round featuring GE Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of industrial conglomerate General Electric.
The round was led by venture capital firm Highland Capital Partners, and included Greylock Partners, Kraft Group, Suffolk Equity Partners and individual investors including Scott Cook, Maria Thomas, Jennifer Hyman and Semil Shah.
Founded in 2013, HourlyNerd has established an online marketplace that enables small business owners and business management students to share information and ideas. It will use the series B funds to expand its platform.
HourlyNerd received $4m in a series A round led by Highland Capital Partners and Greylock Partners in March 2014, and $750,000 in seed financing in 2013 from angel investor Mark Cuban and venture capital firm Accanto Partners.
The company has attracted more than 4,500 companies to its network so far, linking business schools worldwide including Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Columbia, Tuck and Kellogg.