Launch NY Announces Three Key Hires Strengthening Community, Program, and Investment Capacity

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marnie LaVigne, PhD, President and CEO
Phone: 716-998-3534
Email: mlavigne@launchny.org

 

Launch NY Announces Three Key Hires Strengthening Community, Program, and

Investment Capacity

Buffalo, NY – June 23, 2025 – Launch NY is proud to announce the addition of three new team members across its community, program, and investment operations: Cydney Sanders as Community Program Manager, Katrina Cropo as Program Coordinator, and Zachary Mizener as Investment Manager. These hires reflect Launch NY’s continued growth and its commitment to strengthening support for founders throughout Upstate New York.

Cydney Sanders joins Launch NY as Community Program Manager. A Masters of Science graduate from Canisius University, Cydney previously led marketing and outreach at TechBuffalo where she helped build a diverse tech workforce across the region, while hosting high profile events such as the annual Women in Tech program. At Launch NY, she will focus on personalized community engagement strategies and programs with a goal of connecting founders to mentorship, investors, and other critical resources offered by Launch NY and other ecosystem partners.

Katrina Cropo joins Launch NY as Program Coordinator. A University at Buffalo graduate with a Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work, Katrina brings strong program administration and compliance experience from her work with the Homeless Alliance of Western New York. Katrina will play a key role in delivering mentorship and technical assistance services. She will support founders by helping them access the tools they need to become investment-ready.

Zachary Mizener joins Launch NY as Investment Manager. With over six years of experience in financial services, Zach will lead investment strategy and support early-stage companies across the region. His background includes most recently investor relations, fundraising, and financial modeling at Lambert and previously as Equity Research Senior Associate at Citi. He holds a Bachelors in Business Administration and a Masters in Financial Risk Management from the University at Buffalo.

“It has become more exciting than ever to see this kind of talent join our organization, as our ecosystem is spawning an increasingly relevant skill set in our community that includes exceptional expertise, passion, and a commitment to our economic development mission,” said Marnie LaVigne, PhD, President and CEO of Launch NY. “With their leadership, we’re accelerating our support for startups and strengthening the innovation ecosystem that drives our region forward.”

Launch NY is the region’s only venture development organization and the most active seed fund in New York State. It provides mentorship, “first money in” investments, and connections to customers, investors, and capital markets through its nonprofit and for-profit funding programs.

About Launch NY:
Launch NY is the only nonprofit venture development organization and U.S. Treasury-designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that serves and directly funds startups in Upstate New York. The core mission of Launch NY is to identify, support and invest in high‐growth, high‐impact companies and to catalyze the entrepreneurial culture of Upstate New York on behalf of job and wealth creation.

Since 2012 Launch NY has served more than 1,800 companies which have gone on to raise more than $1.5 billion, generate more than $276 million in annual revenue and support more than 5,500 jobs. Aligned with Launch NY’s CDFI designation, more than 70% of its portfolio companies are located in low income neighborhoods. Launch NY delivers its mission via mentorship and capital access programs, starting with pro bono mentoring through its Entrepreneur-in-Residence program, Founders Go Big program for underrepresented and underserved founders, and Emerging Cleantech Opportunity (ECO) Incubator. These programs prepare entrepreneurs for investment capital from multiple sources, including Launch NY’s InvestLocal Financing Programs comprised of nonprofit and for-profit investment funds, and the Investor Network deals marketplace that features hundreds of accredited investors. Through these vehicles, Launch NY is the most active seed investor funding New York State companies and has been ranked among the top 5 nonprofit seed funds in the country.

Media Contact:
Taylor Griffith
Marketing & Events Manager
Launch NY
tgriffith@launchny.org