— Milwaukee-based global staffing firm ManpowerGroup has issued a new challenge for startups, seeking AI-based tech that spurs cooperation with workers.
The company recently launched its 2026 VivaTech Startup Challenge, called Human First, Digital Always: Redefining the Future of Work. It’s seeking submissions in two categories, unified by the idea that AI and humans are “not in competition; they are in collaboration,” according to the announcement.
The first challenge is focused on agentic AI, which can make decisions and take actions independently without constant human oversight. Startups are asked to submit solutions for “workforce delivery at scale,” adding speed and scalability by integrating AI into this process.
“Organizations need to fill roles fast, yet workforce delivery still depends on human availability, multiple vendors, and time-consuming coordination … ManpowerGroup is looking for solutions where AI does the heavy lifting and humans make the calls that count,” an overview on the challenge reads.
The second challenge, related to workforce skills, aims to “put workers in the driver’s seat” for AI as the technology evolves. The company is asking for submissions related to building skills for workers that go with them even if they change jobs or employers.
Submissions will be assessed for their potential impact on the future of work, their level of innovation and differentiation, potential for global scalability in various markets and industries, the team behind the idea and traction in the market.
ManpowerGroup is accepting applications through April 13, and finalists will be announced May 4. These final companies will deliver live pitches at VivaTech 2026 in Paris, billed as Europe’s largest event focused on tech and startups. It’s being held June 17-20.
Winners and finalists will get the chance to work with ManpowerGroup to develop and pilot its submitted solution within one of the company’s markets around the world, connect with potential enterprise clients as well as top executives with the staffing business.
Valerie Beaulieu-James, chief growth and innovation officer for ManpowerGroup, says startups offer “the most agile, ground-breaking thinking” in the current era of widespread market disruption.
“The innovation that will truly reshape work is rarely sitting in plain sight; you have to go find it,” she said in a statement on the contest.
See more in the announcement and apply here.
— Milwaukee and Madison ranked in the bottom third of the largest U.S. metro areas for their shares of immigrant-owned businesses with 11.49% and 9.67%, respectively.
That’s from a recent national analysis published by Coventry Direct, a Pennsylvania-based company in the life insurance industry.
Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, the report placed Wisconsin’s largest city at No. 70 on the list of the top U.S. metro areas ranked by their percentage of immigrant-owned businesses. Milwaukee’s rate of 11.49% is about half the national rate of 23.39%, the report shows.
Meanwhile, Madison’s rate of 9.67% landed it at No. 84 on the list.
Nearby Chicago placed No. 20 for its rate of 30.29%. Authors note large economic hubs like this, characterized by strong job markets and diverse industries, tended to outperform the national average.
The top U.S. city for this measure, Miami, has an immigrant business ownership rate of 61.81%. The city that ranked the lowest — Jackson, Mississippi — has a rate of 5.36%.
See the report.
— Farmers in Lafayette County reduced their greenhouse gas emissions last year by the equivalent of more than 9,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide, equal to taking 2,320 cars off the road.
That’s from the Lafayette Ag Stewardship Alliance’s latest annual report, which details the impact of conservation practices implemented by 31 farmers in the area. This marks the eighth year the group has been tracking these figures through its annual Member Conservation Practice Survey.
Participating farmers planted nearly 13,000 acres of cover crops and measured nutrient management plans on nearly 34,000 acres, along with other practices, the report shows.
In addition to the CO2 reductions, the farmers prevented more than 57,000 tons of sediment loss from farm fields and reduced phosphorus runoff by more than 94,000 pounds. That runoff reduction prevented as much as 47 million pounds of harmful algae growth in local waters, the group estimates.
The total acreage covered by the conservation practices detailed in the report declined between 2024 and 2025 — from 257,608 to 240,702 — but the overall trend remains positive. Since 2018, the covered acreage figure has risen from 75,946.
— U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden is touting a bipartisan proposal to expand access to mental health and addiction services for rural farmers and ranchers.
The Republican congressman, who represents the state’s 3rd CD in western Wisconsin, introduced the federal legislation alongside Colorado Dem U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, a release from his office notes.
The bill would require the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to study the accessibility of addiction and mental health care providers for farmers and ranchers impacted by various industry challenges, according to the bill text. These include: severe and persistent drought; extreme weather events; instability in the commodities market; misinformation targeting consumers and more.
The proposed federal study would seek to identify successful state-level programs that could be replicated at the national level, such as expanding telehealth, training specialists to cater to rural communities, and researching the effectiveness of existing services.
Van Orden says the proposal “takes an important step toward understanding the gaps” in care for agricultural communities.
“I’m committed to ensuring our farmers and rural families have access to the support services they deserve, and I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort,” he said in a statement.
See the release.
— The Wisconsin Technology Council is now accepting registrations for its upcoming Wisconsin Tech Summit, being held April 30 in Oshkosh.
The annual event, hosted this year at the headquarters of Oshkosh Corp., will explore how health care, financial services, manufacturing, agriculture and energy are being reshaped by AI with insights from subject matter experts.
It kicks off with a keynote address by UW-Madison Prof. Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, a leader in the university’s new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence. He’ll discuss the path ahead for AI, what’s happening at the new college and more.
See more event details and register here.
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