BUFFALO, N.Y. — Launch NY, a nonprofit venture-development organization and community development financial institution (CDFI), recently announced the appointment of two business and community leaders to its board of directors — Ekua Mends-Aidoo and David Nasca.

The pair are united by a common vision: driving innovation, opportunity, and economic prosperity through for promising startup businesses across upstate New York, Launch NY said.

For Mends-Aidoo, joining the board is a natural extension of her long-standing commitment to creating systems where all entrepreneurs have a fair shot at being successful. As president of Clementine Gold Group, an equity-centered strategy and engagement firm, she has helped organizations align their policies with inclusive growth. Her leadership journey spans corporate, municipal, nonprofit, and health-care sectors, including time on the leadership team of one of Launch NY’s own tech portfolio companies. Mends-Aidoo also brings a deep connection to the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem — serving on boards including TechBuffalo, advising Launch NY’s Founders Go Big initiative, and contributing to Pipeline Angels’ mission to transform angel investing and venture capital.

Nasca said he envisions his new role as a way to channel decades of financial leadership with multiple banking institutions into fueling regional innovation. As the past president and CEO of Evans Bancorp, Inc., which recently merged with NBT Bancorp, Inc., he guided the banking company’s strategic growth while remaining deeply engaged in local economic development. His history of supporting startups — from involvement with the 43North judging process and Launch NY’s investment funds to health IT startups — reflects his belief that entrepreneurship is central to building vibrant communities. Today, as vice chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York and a leader on several other boards including NBT, he continues to champion initiatives that strengthen economic opportunity.

The addition of Mends-Aidoo and Nasca to the Launch NY board further strengthens its leadership team, the organization stated. With their extensive experience and strategic insight, they will be instrumental in advancing the nonprofit’s mission to provide high-growth startups in upstate New York with the mentorship, resources, and capital they need to thrive and scale.

“Ekua and David both understand that startups are more than just businesses — they’re engines for transformation in communities across Upstate NY,” said Marnie LaVigne, president and CEO of Launch NY. “Their track records show not only a mastery of strategy and growth but also a genuine commitment to lifting up people and ideas that can create even more momentum in our region’s renaissance.”

Launch NY says it is the only nonprofit venture-development organization and U.S. Treasury-designated CDFI that serves and directly funds startups exclusively in upstate New York. Since 2012, Launch NY has served nearly 1,860 companies, which have gone on to raise more than $1.5 billion, generate over $275 million in annual revenue, and support more than 9,600 jobs