Call for Startup AI for Future Regulations
1. Duration and Timeline
The AI Festival 2025's "AI for Future" Startup Call is officially open.
The closure of the first phase of the call will be announced shortly, and the dates for the announcement of the finalists will be communicated after the closure.
2. Promoter
The initiative's promoter is Search On Media Group S.r.l., with its headquarters and operating office at Via Ugo Bassi, 7 - 40121 Bologna, VAT number 02418200800 - Share capital €10,000. Phone: 051 0951294 - Email: info@wemakefuture.it. The company organizes the WMF - We Make Future event.
3. Objective of the Initiative
The initiative aims to encourage entrepreneurship by supporting the most innovative projects in the fields of AI, tech, and digital. The call is open to startups that have developed or plan to develop an innovative project or study in the areas of AI and data management.
4. Conditions for Participation and Operational Mechanics
To participate in the call, you must fill out the specific form, which consists of four sections:
The Applicant and Team
The Company
The Project and Future Challenges
The Documentation
In the third section of the form, the startup must indicate one of the 12 future challenges as the problem their innovative project aims to solve.
For each of the 12 future challenges, trends and technologies related to the sector are provided as examples, including:
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 pitch must adhere to the provided guidelines.
5 . Process
The finalists, to be announced in the coming months, will present their project on the main stage of the AI Festival with a 3-minute pitch. After the presentation, the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Participants will be evaluated based on:
Team expertise, sector knowledge, project feasibility
Product/service development stage
Innovation level and defensibility
Competitive landscape and positioning
Market demand and customer needs
Business potential of the idea
Completeness of the documentation provided
6. Awards
The finalists will be evaluated by the AI Festival's technical committee, which will assign prizes according to specific criteria:
Pitch clarity
Team expertise, sector knowledge, project feasibility
Product/service development stage
Innovation level and defensibility
Competitive landscape and positioning
Market demand and customer needs
Business potential of the idea
Completeness of the documentation provided
The award represents recognition of personal merit or an encouragement for the collective interest. The promoter cannot be held liable for the distribution of awards by partners mentioned above.
7. Contacts
The promoter reserves the right to contact the winners and third parties via the addresses provided.
8. Exclusion from DPR 430/01 Regulations
In accordance with Article 6 of DPR 430/01, this initiative is not considered a competition or prize operation, as it is intended for the presentation of projects or studies in a commercial or industrial context, where the awarding of the prize to the author is recognition of personal merit or an encouragement for the collective interest.
9. Liability
The promoter shall not be held responsible in any way regarding the execution of the initiative and/or the awarding of prizes. In any case, the participant agrees to indemnify and hold the promoter harmless from any harmful consequences, costs, damages—including sanctions from competent authorities—that may arise from or be enforced against the promoter as a result of the participant's 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 and without prior notice. Participation in the initiative does not require the purchase or sale of any products marketed by the promoter and/or related to the WMF. Participation in the initiative is free of charge.
10. Applicable Law
The initiative and this regulation are governed by Italian law.
Bologna, September 12, 2024