Startup Around

Pandion Therapeutics Closes $80M in Series B Back to HomeCAMBRIDGE, MA, Pandion Therapeutics announced that it has closed an $80 million Series B financing led by Access Biotechnology and Boxer Capital.

Pandion Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage, privately-held biotechnology company developing modular protein therapeutics for autoimmune disease, today announced that it has closed an $80 million Series B financing.

The financing round was led by Access Biotechnology and Boxer Capital and included other new investors RA Capital and OrbiMed.

About PT101PT101 is an interleukin 2 (IL-2) mutein Fc fusion protein therapy designed to potently and selectively expand regulatory T cells for the treatment of autoimmune disease.

About Pandion TherapeuticsPandion Therapeutics is developing modular biologics for autoimmune regulation that are designed to achieve lasting therapeutic outcomes for patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585753211.072374/Pandion-Therapeutics-Closes-$80M-in-Series-B?ref=audio_experience

These days, branding is less about products or solutions, and more about the overall customer experience and expectations.

In my experience, the place to start is selecting your desired customer segment first, and then matching it with one of the following generic branding models, to best fit your desired customer segment.

Existing brands such as Tesla, Virgin Atlantic, Rolex, and Harvard University seek to appeal to an elite customer segment, implying prestige, exclusivity, and high customer personalization.

The customer experience is a function of satisfaction with both the service, support, and usability of complex products.

You can find specialists in almost every industry, and their success is gated to customer experience and reviews. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585751410.4203537/8-Brand-Models-to-Attract-Your-Perfect-Fit-Customer?ref=audio_experience

India's fiscal deficit in 2020-21 may shoot up to 6.2 percent of the GDP from the 3.5 percent government estimate as a fallout of the coronavirus economic stimulus package, Fitch Solutions said on Wednesday.

Underpinning the revised forecast are weaker revenue collection as a result of a sharp virus-driven downturn in economic activity and higher expenditures aimed at softening COVID-19's economic shock.

Stating that weak economic activity will likely see revenue collection contract in 2020-21, Fitch Solutions said receipts may contract by one percent from a growth of 11.8 percent previously.

"We forecast expenditures to rise by 22.2 percent despite lower revenue collection," it said.

Fitch Solutions added that the Rs 1.7 lakh crore fiscal stimulus is "inadequate to provide support the economy of India's size amid a likely global recession". | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585749605.6059108/Coronavirus:-India's-fiscal-deficit-may-shoot-up-to-6.2-pc-due-to-economic-package?ref=audio_experience

The event’s organizers have compiled a list of startups in the province as a resource for people looking to participate.

The goal of the event is to broaden Québec residents’ awareness of provincially-made products and services, in order to make up for lost funding and sales faced by some of the startups.

Hardbacon, 1642, Näak, Ugoburo, and Cook It also appear on the list of startups to buy from.

“The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has already caused many layoffs among Québec startups,” Brault wrote on the event’s Facebook page.

Brault added that he hopes the list can be useful enough for Québec residents to become a permanent resource. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585747805.280199/Québec-organizations-rally-residents-to-buy-from-local-startups-on-April-2?ref=audio_experience

FourKites, a Chicago, IL-based provider of a supply chain visibility platform, is acquiring TrackX Holdings Inc.’s (TSX.V:TKX | OTC: TKXHF | FSE :3TH) yard management solutions.

Specifically, FourKites has acquired TrackX’s Yard Management, Dock Management and Gate Control solutions, which are hardware-agnostic and integrate with ERP and WMS systems, as well as RFID and IoT sensors.

The acquisition will enable FourKites to create Dynamic YardSM, a new supply chain visibility solution that extends real-time visibility into the yard.

By integrating FourKites real-time logistics data and predictive ETAs with TrackX’s yard management products, enterprises will be able to proactively manage yards and warehouses based on real-time signals from trucks in-transit and trucks on-site.

Led by CEO Mathew Elenjickal, FourKites provides a real-time supply chain visibility platform with participation from more than 400 of the world’s largest shippers and their carrier and broker partners. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585746010.0603783/FourKites-Acquires-TrackX-Holdings?ref=audio_experience

Mumbai-headquartered after-sales service startup Onsitego recently announced the ‘Onsitego Cares Fund’ initiative to provide financial assistance to employees and service partners facing distress during the time of lockdown.

Any employee or service centre staff affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and is in need of funds, can make use of the ‘No Questions Asked’ Onsitego Cares Fund.

Kunal Mahipal , Onsitego founder and CEOFounded in 2010, the company is extending interest-free funds of up to Rs 12 lakh to select service partners that can be repaid anytime.

The Onsitego Cares Fund will be available to employees and service partners across the country till the lockdown is lifted by the government.

In February 2019, Onsitego raised $19 million in Series B round of funding led by Zodius Growth Fund, with participation from existing investor Accel Partners. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585744208.086904/Onsitego-launches-fund-to-support-service-partners-during-coronavirus?ref=audio_experience

Plum Lending, a San Francisco, CA-based commercial reas estate lending company, raised $2m in equity funding.

Resolute Capital Partners, through Strategic Technology Assets II, made the investment joining Elliott Management and Soft Bank.

Led by Bill Fisher, CEO and founder, Plum is a financial technology company that combines data intelligence with financial expertise to modernize commercial real estate (“CRE”) lending.

It is a direct lender with several new bridge loan programs and a correspondent for multifamily and senior housing agency loans.

The company acts as an adviser to arrange financing on properties at virtually any stage (construction, repositioning, stabilized) or any portion of the capital stack (senior, stretch senior, mezzanine) through an established network of capital sources nationally. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585742410.2873397/Plum-Lending-Raises-$2m-in-Equity-Funding?ref=audio_experience

Bengaluru-based agritech startup Ergos has raised INR 35 Cr ($5 Mn) in a Series A funding round from Aavishkaar Group’s equity investment arm Aavishkaar Capital.

Founded in 2012 by Kishor Jha and Praveen Kumar, Ergos had earlier raised seed funding from Aavishkaar in 2015.

Ergos is an agri-supply chain startup that helps small and marginal farmers in India digitise their food grain distribution.

The company offers doorstep access to end-to-end post-harvest supply chain solutions.

In February, farm-to-fork supply chain startup WayCool raised $35 Mn from Lightbox Ventures, InnoVen Capital and Netherland development finance company FMO Entrepreneurial Development Bank. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585740607.3784142/Agri-Supply-Chain-Startup-Ergos-Bags-$5-Mn-From-Aavishkaar-Capital?ref=audio_experience

Continued lack of medical funds and healthcare infrastructure, despite additional funding, poses challenges in mounting an effective response against the coronavirus outbreak, according to a report.

"The continued lack of medical funding and healthcare infrastructure inform our view for the potential epidemic to be worse in India if it is not adequately contained.

With 8.5 hospital beds per 10,000 population and 8.0 physicians per 10,000, the country's healthcare sector is not equipped for such a crisis," Fitch Solutions said.

Moreover, the significant inefficiency, dysfunctioning, and acute shortage of the healthcare delivery systems in the public sector appear to be insufficient to match up with the growing needs of the population, it said.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context) | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585738806.5863879/Lack-of-medical-funds-poses-challenge-in-fight-against-coronavirus:-Fitch?ref=audio_experience

And because the vast majority of the deliveries during this pandemic are going to be classified as ‘Last mile deliveries’ the Driver Job Board makes perfect sense.

Onfleet Driver Job BoardThe free Driver Job Board will connect drivers looking for work with companies that need help with their delivery.

The Job Board lets drivers signup to deliver for companies in their area or look for jobs companies have posted.

Browse Drivers – Browse for drivers looking for a job in your area.

Browse Companies – Browse companies looking for delivery drivers in your area. | To read full story, visit https://startuparound.com/read/1585737005.8121727/Onfleet-Driver-Job-Board-Launched-for-Companies-to-Find-Delivery-Drivers?ref=audio_experience