Seattle-based e-commerce shipping startup Pandion on Tuesday announced $30 million in new funding consisting of a $22.5 million Series A and a $7.5 million add-on investment.
Pandion's founder and CEO is Scott Ruffin, who was the head of Amazon Air for almost five years. He also spent more than a year as the vice president and head of Walmart's e-commerce transportation business.
“Our mission is to provide low-cost, high-performance delivery that’s purpose-built for e-commerce, and today’s funding will help us continue to scale our technology and sortation center teams as we start operations ahead of another holiday shopping season where demand is expected to significantly outpace capacity,” Ruffin said in a new release.
According to the company's website, Pandion has open roles in software engineering, transportation and operations, among others.
Pandion also announced plans to open a 150,000-square-foot sorting center in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, about an hour's drive outside of Philadelphia. According to the company, the facility will open in the fall, and Pandion is hiring more than 80 people to work there. Pandion is leasing the facility through Cabot Properties, a logistics real estate developer and operator.
Pandion was founded in 2020 and came out of stealth in February. The startup has a shipping network for e-commerce delivery that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence. It offers one- and two-day delivery.
Seattle is increasingly establishing itself as a logistics technology hub. Seattle-based startups Flexe, which offers on-demand warehouse space, and Convoy, which connects freight shippers and carriers, have both attracted big venture capital dollars. Australian shipping startup Sendle, meanwhile, has its U.S. headquarters in Seattle and raised a $35 million Series C in June.
Bow Capital led the Series A, while Playground Global, Schematic Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures and Innovation Endeavors participated. Telstra Ventures led the $7.5 million add-on investment.
“The incumbent shippers weren’t built for e-commerce, and shoppers often feel the strain through delayed deliveries, missing packages and poor customer experience,” Rafi Syed, general partner of Bow Capital, said in the release. “Scott and the team at Pandion are building the technology and network that will enable the e-commerce industry to exceed their customers’ expectations, even in capacity-constrained periods like the holidays. Today’s funding will help accelerate that vision.”
