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.