While Wyoming boasts an impressive 77% one-year survival rate for startup businesses, the outlook is far less optimistic for high-growth, impact-oriented startups—those designed to scale rapidly and drive significant economic development, Cowboy State Daily reports.
These companies face a distinctly lower success rate, posing a challenge for the state’s efforts to diversify its economy in the face of long-term GDP decline.
To better understand and address these issues, a new initiative—Startup Wyoming—has been launched under the leadership of Blossom Ko Lumley. The program is a collaboration between the Wyoming Business Council and Silicon Couloir, a nonprofit that has supported entrepreneurs in the Teton region since 2012. Rather than replicating existing models, Lumley is crafting a program rooted in feedback from founders, investors, and communities across all 23 Wyoming counties.
Lumley has conducted hundreds of interviews and organized statewide focus groups to gain a broad perspective on Wyoming’s startup landscape. She also examined successful models from neighboring states like Montana and North Dakota, as well as national programs that support high-growth entrepreneurship.
A consistent theme emerged: many of the challenges are longstanding. These include a lack of affordable housing, workforce shortages, and a persistent “brain drain” of young talent. According to the Wyoming Business Council, the state has the highest youth outmigration rate in the country, driven in part by limited opportunities in knowledge-based industries and a lack of career mobility.
Infrastructure challenges—such as access to healthcare, child care, and transportation—further compound the difficulties startups face when trying to grow in Wyoming.
In addition to structural barriers, Lumley identified an emotional and logistical challenge: founder isolation. Many entrepreneurs reported difficulty accessing resources, determining which are up to date, and knowing how to navigate them. Despite the presence of various support systems, many founders feel disconnected and unsupported.
To address this, Startup Wyoming aims to create a centralized startup roadmap. This would guide founders through the lifecycle of building a business, connecting them with the right tools and support at each stage.
Another key goal of Startup Wyoming is to foster a stronger sense of community among founders. Lumley envisions a mix of in-person and virtual networking events, particularly targeting rural entrepreneurs who often lack access to peer support. Planned events include a 2026 statewide summit and capital connection gathering to celebrate progress and showcase success stories.
Lumley brings firsthand experience to her role. She came to Wyoming to co-found Airloom Energy and recalls the isolation of early-stage entrepreneurship. She credits mentorship—especially from Fred Schmechel of the Wyoming Technology Business Center—with helping her navigate available resources and maintain the right mindset.
That experience underpins her belief that even if a startup does not ultimately succeed, the knowledge and resilience gained by founders can lead to future ventures.
“That foundational knowledge sticks with a founder,” Lumley said. “So if they pivot, or start again, they are better prepared.”
