Launch NY’s Investor Network Tops 200 Members

Giving Accredited Investors the Opportunity to #InvestLocal

& Make a Profit While Making an Impact

New Member Meet-Up this Thursday, April 14th

 

Buffalo, N.Y., April 12, 2022 – Launch NY’s Investor Network, which has raised nearly $1.2 million in funding for ten Upstate New York startup companies since it started in 2020, this month surpassed 200 total members.

Accredited investors who are interested in or already part of Launch NYs Investor Network are invited to join a virtual roundtable discussion from noon to 1 pm on Thursday, April 14. Click here to register. Participants can meet the Launch NY team, get an overview of its #InvestLocal mission, tour the new Venture360 platform and learn about three current featured deals.

“Seed capital is the lifeblood of a healthy startup ecosystem, so we’re thrilled with the continued growth of our Investor Network, recently enhanced as Investor Network 2.0, which is the only #investlocal entity in our region that provides individual investors with investment opportunities in startups located exclusively in the 27 westernmost counties of Upstate New York,” said Marnie LaVigne Ph.D., President and CEO of Launch NY. “The purpose and mission of the Investor Network is to give accredited investors the opportunity to make a profit while they make an impact in a region that matters to them. Where else can regional boosters near and far depend on tapping into a steady stream of local startup investment opportunities?”

Investor Network members can invest as little as $10,000 or up to six-figures in the startups and sectors of their choice. Launch NY is continuing to waive its membership fee until it reaches its target of 300 total investors in the coming months.

To date, 208 accredited investors have joined Launch NY’s Investor Network, and more than thirty have participated in 12 transactions in ten companies, with investments surpassing the $1 million milestone last November, and now totaling nearly $1.2 million.

In February, Launch NY announced enhancements to the Investor Network that make it even easier for accredited investors to participate in—and potentially profit from—the region’s growing startup ecosystem, including access to deals in local startups both in and outside of Launch NY’s current investment portfolio, as well as a new robust, easy-to-use and secure platform that simplifies startup investing—from reviewing new investment opportunities, including pitches, founder Q&As and due diligence materials, to monitoring and managing member investment portfolios—all online from a desktop or mobile device.

Featured deals currently available to Investor Network members include:

• Azuna – Azuna utilizes the unique properties of Australian tea tree oil, long-proven to be nature’s effective antiseptic, cleanser and preservative. Clean air – free of fungus, bacteria, mold, mildew and odor – is essential for healthy living. In its first two years, Azuna has generated $3.2 million in revenue and achieved a 60% increase in sales in 2021.
• Circle Optics – Circle Optics is bringing the world’s first stitch-less 360° camera, which shoots instant 360° content the way you would use a normal camera without costly digital processing or scene limitations. Past Genius NY winner Circle Optics won $2.5 million in new contracts in the defense and aeronautics sectors in the past two months.
• PostProcess – PostProcess’ solutions are proven to revolutionize the way manufacturers use 3D printing by automating the tedious and labor-intensive third step of additive manufacturing, post-printing. As the pioneer of software-driven support removal, resin removal and surface finishing for 3D printed parts, our trusted solutions deliver unparalleled results and reduce time-to-market for 3D printed parts. With Tom Golisano as their lead investor, PostProcess has raised $40 million in three successful rounds.

 

About Launch New York

The mission of Launch New York, Inc. (Launch NY), the only U.S. Treasury-designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) directly providing venture funding to businesses in New York State, is to identify, support and invest in high-growth, high-impact companies that can transform the local economy and catalyze the entrepreneurial culture in the 27 counties comprising the western half of Upstate New York. Launch NY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit venture development organization that promotes economic development through best practices, including high-quality pro bono business mentoring, while operating the most active seed fund in New York State that provides access to seed capital as part of an array of #InvestLocal financing programs designed to facilitate funding for investment-ready companies which have the promise to drive significant economic impact and jobs for our region.

Launch NY is headquartered in Buffalo and has co-locations with partner organizations in Binghamton, Ithaca, Rochester and Syracuse. Since 2012, it has served over 1,359 companies, has more than thirty experienced local entrepreneurs-in-residence and its National Mentor Network of 2,000 industry, business and investment experts. Launch NY has mentored companies, including 28% women-led and 28% minority-led startups, which have created 4,845 jobs, attracted over $1 billion in co-investment and follow-on capital after joining Launch NY and generated over $204 million in annual revenues.

Launch NY’s #InvestLocal Financing Programs include a nonprofit fund, for-profit limited partner fund and Investor Network. The Investor Network includes opportunities for accredited investors to fund Launch NY portfolio companies of their choice for as little as $10,000 starting with a free sign up to join a community of over 190 members. Those funded by Launch NY’s nonprofit fund, started in 2016, include 77 portfolio companies comprising 29% women-led and 28% minority-led, have created 447 jobs, attracted over $176 million after receiving funding from Launch NY and generated over $39 million in annual revenues. Launch NY also leads the premier Emerging Cleantech Opportunity (ECO) Incubator, one of six designated clean energy incubators sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), as well as the Founders Go Big program, an innovative diversity and inclusion initiative introduced in 2020.