An ongoing challenge facing the city and state is keeping the talented workforce from moving away to find career opportunities.

That’s an area StartingBlock Madison, a physical collaboration space for startups, will try to tackle, project facilitator George Austin said Tuesday at the monthly WIN luncheon at the Sheraton Hotel.

“StartingBlock Madison will help (local) companies take their ideas to the next level,” Austin said. “They will have commercial applications and the resources to take advantage of that and ultimately create businesses and jobs for our economy. It will be an affordable work space where entrepreneurs can pivot when necessary and grow when it’s right.”

Troy Vosseller, co-founder of Gener8tor, echoed the sentiment.

“The more startups that we have in Madison, the more people will engage in the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Vosseller said. “People need to see successful role models who have gone from seed to fundraise to exit. Afterward, we want them to have options here.”

StartingBlock Madison will be the anchor tenant of the mixed-used building at 800 E. Washington Ave. in the near-east capital district and will employ an executive director and a board of directors that have yet to be determined.

As previously reported, gener8tor, Sector 67 and Capital Entrepreneurs will move their operations to the new building, which is project to open in 2016.