Launch New York, Inc. received a $1.5 million Project Grant award from the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration under the BUILD TO SCALE federal grant program. The grant will support Launch New York's FAST FORWARD FOR TECH-DRIVEN STARTUPS initiative, which is designed to help seed-stage companies progress to market entry and expansion. As the sole venture development organization serving 27 counties in Western New York, Launch New York will introduce the FAST FORWARD program to serve its high volume of startups that have advanced beyond customer discovery and minimum viable product development. Specialized protocols will also target priority industry clusters like cleantech as well as underrepresented founders. The funding period is from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2024.