<article>Pundit Connect has closed a seed round A$305,000 to fund its pivot, while Melbourne has announced plans to launch a startup district centred on the University of Melbourne.</article>

Pundit Connect has closed a seed round A$305,000 to fund its pivot, while Melbourne has announced plans to launch a startup district centred on the University of Melbourne.
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Pundit Connect closes A$305k seed</h3>
A Geelong-based startup, <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.punditconnect.com/" target="_blank">Pundit Connect</a>, has closed an A$305,000 seed round to fund a major pivot as it turns its attention to the local procurement market.
Pundit Connect originally functioned as a marketplace offering competitive quoting for users seeking professional consultants launched in 2015. Founded more than a year ago, following a review of how its users utilised it, founder and CEO James Baird found that several local SMEs were jumping on the platform to locate professional services regionally.
it seems that funding originates from a an angel investor network in Geelong, with a win at a Startup Victoria pitch competition driving discussions around an investment.
This led him to launch an additional service called Localised, a digital platform for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the local region to connect with and engage local suppliers. This latest round will facilitate a pivot of the platform and facilitate the roll-out of the app in Geelong and Bendigo.
In an <a href="http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/funding/pundit-connect-closes-305000-seed-round-to-fund-a-major-pivot/" target="_blank">interaction</a> with StartupSmart, Baird says, &#8220;It presented a really great opportunity. We’re regionally-based already and we’re seeing regional customers wanting to use the platform to connect with local suppliers in the professional services sector. We were already a quasi-local procurement platform for professionals in regional areas.&#8221;
In partnership with the <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.bendigobusinesscouncil.com/" target="_blank">Bendigo Busines Council</a>, Localised will be rolled out by August 2016 and will operate in Geelong by September 2016, with Baird saying this will be followed by a round of venture capital investment to fund further scaling of the platform, in addition to seeking out partnership with local business organisations to extend its reach.
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">Melbourne launches startup district</h3>
Melbourne is developing a  district that will serve to host startup ventures and served as an innovation ecosystem within the Australian city, in addition to delivering a social and economic impact.
The Carlton Connect precinct will be built in the converted former women’s hospital at the University of Melbourne. It will also include a multi-level development facilitating a convergence of startup ventures, social enterprises, governments, academics and large local enterprises (LLEs) and is planned for completion by 2022. The district will also include the <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=melbourne+accelerator+program" target="_blank">Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP)</a>.
In an <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.startupsmart.com.au/advice/growth/innovation/major-innovato/" target="_blank">interaction</a> with StartupSmart, <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=rohan+workman" target="_blank">Rohan Workman</a>, the director of MAP, stated: “When people ask why universities get involved in entrepreneurship, they have unique, un-leveraged assets for the benefit of the startup community. That’s a pretty amazing melting pot to be able to tap into.”
A Virgin.com <a style="color: #000080;" href="https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/the-worlds-best-start-up-hubs-melbourne-australia" target="_blank">content piece</a> notes that in global terms, Melbourne, a major Australian city, and Australia as a whole, represent a relatively small market. Startups based here may also face a conservative business culture, despite the diversity the business community of the city enjoys.
<a style="color: #000080;" href="https://au.linkedin.com/in/kon-karapanagiotidis-oam-56ab5037" target="_blank">Kon Karapanagiotidis</a>, the CEO of Melbourne&#8217;s Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, shared: &#8220;At its best, the business culture is community-minded, accessible, and keen to harness their human social capital to build capacity and opportunities for asylum seekers and other marginalised communities. Businesses who want to be market leaders and see that their brand stands for something more than just commercial outcomes.&#8221;
&#8220;At their worst, Melbourne businesses engage in ways that are tokenistic, obsessed with protecting brands at all costs, enhance its standing without contributing anything meaningful despite having great resources, networks and wealth,&#8221; he added.
Other challenges of Melbourne that were cited were factors such as costs of living and labour, which significantly impact an entrepreneurial venture&#8217;s cost base.
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Pundit Connect has closed a seed round A$305,000 to fund its pivot, while Melbourne has announced plans to launch a startup district centred on the Universi

Australia Digest: Pundit Connect closes A$305k seed; Melbourne to launch startup district

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