Launch NY
Nonprofit venture development organization and CDFI for Upstate New York, combining mentorship with InvestLocal seed capital. LP Fund I raised $5.425M (2019); LP Fund II raised $15.775M (2023). Roughly $17M–$19.5M invested across 100+ companies since 2016. Headquartered in Buffalo; serves 36 Upstate counties.
Typical check size
$250K-$3M (stage-based estimate)
Founded
2012
Headquarters
Buffalo, NY
AUM
N/A
Rounds they lead
Pre-Seed
Seed
Rounds they invest
Pre-Seed
Seed
Portfolio companies we track
Startups in our directory that list Launch NY as an investor (1 total).
Related investment articles
FAQs about Launch NY
Stage fit, check size, thesis, and how founders typically approach this firm — based on public sources and our directory.
Our directory lists Launch NY as leading and investing at Pre-Seed and Seed. Capital is delivered through InvestLocal and related LP funds alongside mentoring for early Upstate companies.
LP Fund I closed at $5.425M in 2019 and LP Fund II at $15.775M in 2023. Public reporting cites roughly $17M–$19.5M invested across 100+ companies since 2016; we list AUM as N/A because sizes sit in fund closes, not a single AUM figure.
HQ is in Buffalo. Launch NY serves 36 Upstate New York counties — not NYC-metro-only. Founders outside that footprint should confirm eligibility before applying.
Our directory tags generalist-tech, climate-tech, enterprise-saas, and deep-tech. As a regional venture development org, thesis is broad within tech companies that will grow in Upstate NY.
No. Launch NY is a nonprofit venture development organization and CDFI. It still writes seed capital via InvestLocal and LP funds, but the mission is regional economic development as much as returns.
Both. Mentorship and venture development sit alongside InvestLocal capital. Many founders engage the organization for coaching and network access even when a check is not the first step.
Start at launchny.org for InvestLocal criteria and application paths. Warm intros from Upstate mentors, university tech-transfer offices, or prior portfolio companies are common; cold applications are also part of the process.
We do not yet have a full mapped Launch NY portfolio in the startup directory. Launch NY reports 100+ companies backed since 2016; see launchny.org for the current list and we will link profiles as they are added.