Where Do WI And Milwaukee, Last In Startup Activity, Go From Here?

Call it a “three-peat,” a losing streak, or what you will. Just don’t call it a surprise.

On Thursday, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation released its latest ranking of startup activity by state. For the third consecutive year, Wisconsin finished in last place.

Many of the reactions from members of the state’s early-stage business and investment communities echo what was said in August, when the 2016 Kauffman Index of Startup Activity was released. Startup-focused individuals and groups are calling for policy changes, such as amending legislation governing corporate noncompete agreements to be more worker-friendly. Meanwhile, groups such as the Wisconsin Technology Council and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), the state’s job-creation agency, are pointing out what they see as shortcomings in the methodology Kauffman uses to compile its rankings....