The Call for Startup AI for Future is open.
The first phase of the call, which selects the 6 finalists who will compete in the final of the third edition of the AI Festival (January 21st and 22nd, 2026 - Milan), is open.
The second phase, which selects another 30 startups that will participate in WMF 2026 (June 17th - 19th, Bologna), will open in the coming months.
The promoting body of the initiative is the company Search On Media Group S.r.l., Registered and Operational Headquarters: Via Ugo Bassi, 7 - 40121 Bologna, VAT no. 02418200800 - Share capital €10,000 Tel: 051 09 51 294 - Email: info@wemakefuture.it.
The initiative aims to encourage entrepreneurship by supporting the most innovative projects in the technological and digital fields. The call is intended for startups that have developed or intend to develop an innovative project or study in the field of AI and data management.
To participate in the call, it is necessary to fill out the specific form which consists of four sections:
THE APPLICANT AND THE TEAM
THE COMPANY
THE PROJECT AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE
THE DOCUMENTATION
Within the third step of the form, the challenges of the future are indicated, which each startup is called to select as the challenge to be addressed with its innovative project.
For each of the 12 challenges of the future, we indicate industry trends and technologies for purely exemplary purposes:
Future of Cities & Communities - Smart City, Smart Community, IOT, Mobility, Energy prosumer market, Energy storage, efficiency & management, Renewables & alternative fuels, Platform economy, Big Data & Analytics, Environmental sensors, Digital twins, Smart home & Buildings
Future of Health - Digital health, Well being, Telemedicine, Healthcare supply, Patient Engagement, Medical devices, Fitness apps, Remote monitoring, Biotech, Ageing, Omics
Future of work - New ways of working, Digital HR, Change management, Diversity & inclusion, Intranet, Intrapeneurship, Meta* for work, Tools for digital nomads, Design & Project/Task management, Voice&Video, Data protection
Future of Culture & Travel - Artificial Intelligence for the tourism sector, Mobile Apps, QR Codes, IOT & Big Data, Augmented Reality, Smart luggage, Sharing & rentals, Booking & search, Revenue Management, Channel managers
Future of Food & Agriculture - Climate smart agriculture, Smart or vertical farming, Smart Aquaculture, Autonomous Vehicles & Drones, Precision farming, Optimization of supply chain, Big Data & Analytics, 3D food printing, Ingredient innovation, Cell-based nutrition, Delivery
Future of Marketing - Advertising & Promotion, Content&Experience, Social&Relationships, Commerce&sales, Data, Management, Display& Programmatic Advertising, Search&Social Advertising, Content Advertising, Video Advertising, PR, Proximity Marketing, Sales automation, Affiliate marketing, Ecommerce Platforms e Carts, iPaaS, Cloud management, Vendor Analysis, Business Intelligence& Data Science
Future of Learning & Education - EdTech, AR, VR, AI, Robotics, Learning Management Systems, Learning analytics, Classroom engagement, Online to Offline, Learn from anywhere
Future of Media & Entertainment - Subscription on-demand, Connected home, AI, Curated Content, Streaming, Gesture control, VR/AR/XR, Infotainment, 4K, Contextual media, video intelligence, Consumer engagement via new medium
Future of Retail & Customer Experience - Sustainable Materials & Production, Digital Marketing, Customer Engagement, Efficiency of Supply Chain, Phygital Stores, SaaS marketplaces, In store marketing & analytics, Cashierless checkout, Bots & chatbots, Fraud prevention solutions, Last mile delivery, Guest wi-fi
Future of Sports & Events - Tech for events, eSports, Digital fitness, Fan engagement, Player engagement, Data for events, Team& Coach success, Ticketing, Broadcasting & Streaming)
Future of Finance & Insurance - Payments, Financial inclusion, Buy Now Pay Later, Blockchain & Crypto-currencies, Identity & Authentication, Insurtech, Cybersecurity, NFT, Complementary currencies, Crowdfunding, POS, Lending, Online banking, Real Estate & mortgage
Future of planet earth - Climate Change & Decarbonization, Space tech - downstream; Water consumption and sanitation, Waste to resource, Reuse of products, IOT based & AI powered smart waste management, Bio based materials, Remanufacturing, Traceability, Bees preservation, Circular economy
The finalist startups, to be announced in the coming months, will present their project at the third edition of the AI Festival - The International Festival on Artificial Intelligence and will have the opportunity to participate in WMF - We Make Future. Following the presentation, the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions to the finalist teams in the following minutes.
Participants must express their vote based on the following parameters:
Team skills, industry knowledge, project feasibility;
Development stage of the product/service;
Degree of innovation and its defensibility;
Competitive context and positioning;
Responsiveness to and size of market and customer needs;
Business potential of the idea
Completeness of the submitted documentation.
The finalists of the Startup AI for Future Call will be evaluated by the technical committee of WMF - We Make Future, which will assign the planned prizes according to the following evaluation criteria:
Clarity of the pitch presentation;
Team skills, industry knowledge, project feasibility;
Development stage of the product/service;
Degree of innovation and its defensibility;
Competitive context and positioning;
Responsiveness to and size of market and customer needs;
Business potential of the idea
Completeness of the submitted documentation.
The awarding of the prize represents the recognition of personal merit or in any case a title of encouragement in the interest of the community. No liability may be attributed to the promoter in relation to the provision of prizes by the aforementioned partners.
The promoter reserves the right to contact the winners and any third parties indicated by means of the addresses in its possession.
In accordance with Article 6 of D.P.R. 430/01 “Regulation concerning the organic revision of the discipline of prize competitions and prize-winning operations, as well as local prize events pursuant to art. 19, paragraph 4, of law 27 December 1997, no. 449,” this initiative is not considered a prize competition and/or prize-winning operation as it is organized for the presentation of projects or studies in a commercial or industrial context, in which the awarding of the prize to the author represents the recognition of personal merit or in any case a title of encouragement in the interest of the community.
Furthermore, no liability may be attributed to the promoter in relation to the conduct of the initiative and/or the awarding of the prizes. In any case, the participant undertakes to hold the promoter harmless and indemnified from any and all prejudicial consequences, costs, damages - including sanctions from competent authorities - that may arise for or be asserted against the promoter as a result of their actions or violation of the Regulations. If, for any reason, the initiative cannot be carried out as planned, the promoter reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or cancel the initiative, without any liability arising for the promoter, and without any prior notice. For the purpose of participating in the initiative, it is not necessary to purchase and/or sell any products marketed by the promoter and/or related to WMF. Participation in the initiative is free of charge.
The initiative and these regulations are governed by Italian law.
Bologna, June 30, 2025
