AI Festival brings startups and innovative SMEs to global markets through the AI For Future call

Startup competition gives AI-based startups and innovative SMEs access to the global WMF network: opportunities in San Francisco, Riyadh, Milan, and Bologna.

MILAN, MILAN, ITALY, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Bologna, Italy, October 15, 2026 | AI Festival, the international festival on Artificial Intelligence powered by WMF – We Make Future, brings startups and innovative SMEs to global markets through AI For Future, the startup competition dedicated to entrepreneurial projects developing AI-based applications, technologies, and solutions. AI Festival will return to Milan on February 11–12, 2027, at Superstudio Maxi. Through AI For Future, now in its 4th edition, the Festival opens the opportunities of the broader international network of WMF – We Make Future to startups and innovative SMEs: a global innovation platform connecting startups, investors, corporations, accelerators, institutions, research centers, and international stakeholders.

Through the call, selected startups and innovative SMEs gain access to a pathway that goes beyond participation in the AI Festival 2027 final in Milan, entering an international system of opportunities promoted by the WMF ecosystem. Across San Francisco, Riyadh, Milan, and Bologna, projects will have the opportunity to connect with investors, corporations, innovation stakeholders, and key players in the global AI market through pitches, exhibition opportunities, B2B meetings, networking moments, and qualified visibility.

The first selection phase closes on October 15, 2026. This phase will also identify the startups that will have the opportunity to join WMF at the second edition of AI For Future in Silicon Valley, scheduled for November 5, 2026, in San Francisco: an international stop designed to foster dialogue among high-potential AI projects, investors, corporations, and leading players in the U.S. technology ecosystem.

“AI For Future is the call through which AI Festival, within the WMF ecosystem, identifies and supports startups and innovative SMEs developing AI solutions with the potential to generate impact for the market and society,” said Cosmano Lombardo, Founder and CEO of Search On Media Group and creator of WMF and AI Festival. “Today, in order to grow, a startup needs access to markets, industry relationships, expertise, visibility, and opportunities for international exchange. With AI For Future, we offer a pathway that connects entrepreneurial projects, investors, corporations, and innovation stakeholders, accompanying startups across multiple strategic stages: from San Francisco to Riyadh, from Milan to WMF in Bologna.”

The journey will then continue with AI Festival 2027, taking place in Milan on February 11–12, 2027; WMF – We Make Future, scheduled for June 10–12, 2027, at BolognaFiere; and Saudi Makes Future, coming to Riyadh in 2027.

AI For Future therefore opens the door to the opportunities of the global WMF network: an international ecosystem active across Europe, North America, and Asia, connecting startups, investors, corporations, accelerators, and innovation stakeholders. The network includes organizations that collectively represent $1.5 trillion in Total Portfolio Value, $304 billion in Assets Under Management, $72.8 billion in deal participation, and more than 17,000 funding rounds.


AI Festival 2027, a strategic stage in the AI For Future pathway

Among the opportunities offered by the call, one of the key moments will be the AI For Future final at AI Festival 2027, taking place on February 11–12 in Milan at Superstudio Maxi. The 6 selected finalist startups will present their projects on the Festival’s main stage in front of investors, venture capital firms, companies, professionals, Big Tech players, and stakeholders from the international AI market. During the two-day event, they will also have access to the Festival’s business initiatives, B2B meetings with investors and corporations, and the opportunity to exhibit in the area dedicated to the startup and innovation ecosystem. As with the other startup initiatives promoted by WMF, AI For Future selects entrepreneurial projects based on the 14 strategic industries and Future Challenges identified by the WMF ecosystem, with the goal of scouting high-potential solutions in sectors undergoing technological transformation: from AI & Digital Business to IndustryTech & Robotics, from FinTech & Digital Assets to CleanTech & Energy, as well as Health & Life Sciences, Smart Cities & Mobility, and other key areas shaping the years ahead.


Beyond the finalists: opportunities at WMF 2027

In addition to the finalists taking part in AI Festival, another 30 startups selected through the call will have the opportunity to participate in WMF – We Make Future 2027 and in the initiatives dedicated to startups, innovative SMEs, and investors during the three-day event at BolognaFiere.
Opportunities include B2B meetings with investors and corporations, exhibition space in the Startup District, pitch sessions, networking side events, and moments of exchange with funds, companies, accelerators, and international stakeholders. Among the opportunities returning this year, selected startups from the call that take part in WMF will also be able to access the spaces of Tecnopolo DAMA in Bologna through Land in Bo, thanks to the collaboration between WMF, Tecnopolo, and the Metropolitan City of Bologna. Selected startups will have access to equipped workspaces, dedicated services, and direct access to one of Europe’s leading technology hubs, which hosts strategic infrastructures such as the Leonardo supercomputer and the AI Factory. In the previous edition, this opportunity involved startups from the WMF network including Caelus, Ginga, and ReQurv.
In this context, AI For Future becomes an entry point into a broader pathway designed to connect capital, deal flow, industrial expertise, and international amplification capacity. The initiative is designed to support startups and innovative SMEs across different stages of growth, from pre-seed to scale-up, fostering qualified visibility, business relationships, and access to international markets and communities.


AI Festival and the WMF for AI pathway

AI Festival, taking place on February 11–12, 2027, in Milan, is the international festival on Artificial Intelligence powered by WMF – We Make Future. The 4th edition will be dedicated to the theme “Orchestrating Intelligence – Where Humans & AI play in Symphony,” with a focus on AI business, advanced training, governance, research, startups, open innovation, and the social, ethical, and legal impacts of Artificial Intelligence. The AI For Future competition is part of WMF for AI, the set of initiatives promoted by WMF to spread culture, skills, awareness, and opportunities around AI, connecting the Milan event to WMF’s broader international network.
The first phase of the AI For Future call closes on October 15, 2026.


WMF - We Make Future, the largest International Trade Fair and Festival on Artificial Intelligence, Technology, and Digital Innovation
On June 10, 11, and 12, 2027, WMF - We Make Future returns to BolognaFiere as the certified international trade fair fully dedicated to the world of innovation. A global event, WMF brings together every year the best of artificial intelligence, technology, and digital and social innovation, along with leading international players, startups, scaleups, investors, institutions, universities, and non-profit organizations. With more than 75,000 attendees from 90 countries in 2026, over 800 exhibitors, more than 1,000 speakers and guests from around the world, over 3,000 B2B meetings, 3,000 startups and investors, and partners representing an investment portfolio of $1.5 trillion, more than $304 billion in AUM, over $72.8 billion in funded deals, and more than 17,000 investment rounds managed, WMF is the leading international trade fair for the innovation ecosystem.

Search On Media Group - Humans Leading Innovation
Since 2004, Search On Media Group has worked to spread digital culture by managing communities, supporting knowledge-sharing initiatives, and providing strategic and operational consulting through its Search On Consulting division, specializing in Digital Marketing and Digital Transformation for major companies. Search On Media Group’s experience and expertise have also led to the creation of the Event Agency Business Unit, which organizes WMF as well as proprietary and client events, and ibrida.io, a platform designed to manage online, hybrid, and in-person events in a customizable and flexible way.

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