Grown up site Gather gets $10M from old media Hearst, McGraw-Hill & others

Gather.com, a social networking site focused on themes for “grown-ups,” from cooking to politics, said it has raised a $10 million round of financing.

Lead investor is Pilot House Ventures, and large media companies Hearst Corporation, and The McGraw-Hill Companies participated, along with Jack Connors, Chairman of Hill Holliday and Gather.com CEO Tom Gerace and his family.

The strategy is to build tight partnerships with leading media properties, as well as plans for international expansion.

It is noteworthy that Hearst, a newspaper company, is investing in a grown-up site, as opposed to trying to reach a site with younger audience, which you could argue might rejuvenate its offerings. Or perhaps the strategy is to give its existing audience to connect online.