When global innovation ecosystems collide, the results can reshape industries. That’s the premise behind the second edition of AI For Future, WMF’s Silicon Valley showcase, which lands in San Francisco on November 5 with a curated lineup of international AI leaders, investors, and nine hand-picked startups from both sides of the Atlantic.
AI For Future brings AI leaders, investors and founders to Silicon Valley, featuring 9 innovative startups from Europe and the U.S
BOLOGNA, BOLOGNA, ITALY, November 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — An evening dedicated to vision, business, and networking around Artificial Intelligence is set to unfold, assembling prominent international AI experts and investors alongside startup founders chosen from Europe and the United States. That’s the core mission of AI For Future, WMF’s Silicon Valley event, which returns to San Francisco on November 5 for its second outing at Mind The Bridge.
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Building on its 2025 launch, AI For Future is deepening WMF’s footprint in the United States and advancing its mission to connect innovation ecosystems through the WMF International Roadshow. That initiative, which began in 2021, aims to link markets, expertise, capital, startups, companies, and institutions across the globe. The international circuit ultimately converges at WMF – We Make Future, The Biggest Event on Innovation: AI, Tech & Digital, scheduled for June 10–12, 2027 at BolognaFiere in Bologna, Italy.
The event carries the support of ITA – Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). Supporting partners for the 2026 edition include San Marino Innovation, POLIMI School of Management, and the Digital Innovation Observatories of Politecnico di Milano, with Five Degrees and Durana Tech Park serving as event sponsors.
Massimo Carnelos, Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, underscored the initiative’s importance for transatlantic ties: “AI For Future’s presence in San Francisco represents an opportunity to bring the Italian innovation ecosystem closer to the Bay Area, fostering connections among companies, startups and investors. In this context, the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco contributes to strengthening economic and technological relations between Italy and the United States by leveraging its institutional network and facilitating access to key players in the local ecosystem, with the goal of encouraging new collaborations and showcasing the innovative potential of Italian companies.”
The evening kicks off with institutional remarks from Leonardo Nasi, Vice Consul – Economic Attaché at the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, and Giosafat Riganò, Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade Agency – Los Angeles.
Cosmano Lombardo, Chairman of WMF – We Make Future and Founder and CEO of Search On Media Group, framed the event as part of a broader strategy: “AI For Future is rooted in the belief that innovation needs international connections to create meaningful impact. This is the purpose of the Innovation Diplomacy we pursue through WMF: creating tangible opportunities for talent, startups, companies, investors and institutions to meet, while connecting ecosystems that can grow through dialogue and collaboration. Returning to Silicon Valley for a second year means continuing this journey and strengthening the dialogue between the United States, Italy and Europe, while increasingly extending it toward the Middle East. In 2027, this path will also take us to Saudi Arabia with Saudi Makes Future and will continue across WMF’s international initiatives, with the goal of building lasting bridges between markets, expertise and capital.”
AI, Investment and U.S.-Europe Collaboration
The roster of announced speakers and guests features Alicia Hanf, Head of Institutional Ecosystem Partnerships at LG NOVA, LG Electronics; Jerry Kaplan, Entrepreneur and Expert in Artificial Intelligence; Angelo Del Priore, Founding Partner at HP Tech Ventures; Jeffrey Abbott, Founder of AI Salon and co-author of AI and the Art of Being Human; Jazz Samra, North American Commercialization and Business Development at Nium; Alberto Acito, Managing Director at INNOVIT SF; Federico Francioni, Design & Strategy Leader Meta, ex-Microsoft; Alessandro Piva, Director of the European Digital Tech Watch (EDTW) at Politecnico di Milano; Nicolas Rossini, Head of Innovation at San Marino Innovation; Joya Scarlata, Marketing Director at InterraIT; Patrick Devereux, Operations Manager at Five Degrees; and Chloe Jones, Business Development Expert at Durana Tech Park.
At the heart of the program lie the forces driving AI’s current trajectory: investment and venture capital, startup scaling, enterprise AI adoption, transatlantic ecosystem connections, and the emergence of new markets.
Investment dynamics take center stage in the panel “Beyond the AI Hype: Who Will Build, Fund, and Own the Future?”, where Alicia Hanf, Angelo Del Priore, Jeffrey Abbott, and Jazz Samra will explore the forces shaping how emerging AI companies across the United States and Europe are developed and financed. The European AI landscape also gets a spotlight, with Alessandro Piva discussing the startup-enterprise relationship and the journey toward AI adoption. Attendees will also get a first look at the new WMF Sports Innovation Track, presented by Alicia Hanf and Cosmano Lombardo.
AI 4 Future Startup Competition: 9 Founders Take the Stage in San Francisco
A major highlight of the evening is the AI 4 Future Startup Competition, which brings nine startups from Europe and the United States onto the San Francisco stage. The contenders span a wide range of sectors: SupraOS, working on enterprise AI; Mulan AI, applying AI to content creation and marketing; Salute360, active in digital health; PRODIGY PRODUCTS, focused on enterprise AI and automation; Handy Signs, using AI to improve accessibility and support sign-language translation; MON5, specializing in cybersecurity for industrial systems and critical infrastructure; Vertalis, developing industrial data infrastructure for AI and technology implementation across manufacturing plants; TerraSpark, active in CleanTech and space-based solar energy, winner of the WMF 2026 Startup Competition and selected for the final stage of the Startup World Cup; and Nuhpro, focused on FoodTech and AI-powered nutrition.
The three winning startups will each receive a dedicated desk in the exhibition area at three international events: WMF – We Make Future 2027, taking place June 10–12 at BolognaFiere in Bologna, Italy; AI Festival 2027, taking place February 11–12 in Milan, Italy; and Saudi Makes Future 2027 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. These placements offer winners additional platforms to showcase their solutions, connect with international investors and corporations, and explore new markets. The winners will also join the Builders Community, gaining access to WMF’s global network and the opportunities developed across it, including pitch sessions, B2B meetings, networking, international visibility and connections with investors, venture capitalists, companies and innovation stakeholders across the global ecosystems reached by WMF initiatives. Hosted by journalist and presenter Veronica Maffei, the evening will conclude with a networking aperitif bringing together startups, investors, companies, speakers and international stakeholders. With the second edition of AI For Future, WMF further strengthens its presence in Silicon Valley and continues the international work of connecting innovation, capital, companies, startups and institutions that defines the WMF International Roadshow.
WMF – We Make Future is conceived, organized and produced by Search On Media Group. The 2026 edition was held under the patronage of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Municipality of Bologna, Italy. It was supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), ITA – Italian Trade Agency and the Emilia-Romagna Region, in partnership with Visit Emilia-Romagna and in collaboration with BolognaFiere, CINECA and ESA – European Space Agency. Main Sponsors of the 2026 edition were Philip Morris, Dell Technologies and Intel.
WMF – We Make Future, The Largest International Trade Fair and Festival on Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Digital Innovation, returns to BolognaFiere in Bologna, Italy, on June 10–12, 2027, as a certified international trade fair entirely dedicated to innovation. The global event brings together leading players in Artificial Intelligence, technology, digital and social innovation, alongside international companies, startups, scaleups, investors, institutions, universities and nonprofit organizations. The 2026 edition welcomed more than 75,000 attendees from 90 countries, over 800 exhibitors, more than 1,000 speakers and guests from around the world, more than 3,000 startups and investors, alongside partners representing a combined investment portfolio of €1.5 trillion, more than €304 billion in AUM, over $72.8 billion in funded transactions and more than 17,000 investment rounds managed, positioning WMF as an international reference point for the global innovation ecosystem.
Saudi Makes Future – The Largest AI Exhibition in the Middle East, is the Saudi edition of WMF – We Make Future, the certified international trade fair and global platform dedicated to innovation, Artificial Intelligence and technology. Developed through a collaboration between Search On Media Group, WMF – We Make Future and PNG Saudi, the event will take place in Riyadh in 2027 at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center. Building on WMF’s vision, experience and thematic structure, Saudi Makes Future adapts the format around AI through 14 strategic industries exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence on business, industry, society and institutions. Set within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030, the event is designed as an international platform for connection, cooperation and development, bringing together companies, startups, investors and stakeholders interested in new opportunities for growth, education and innovation across the Middle East and globally.
Search On Media Group – Humans Leading Innovation, has worked since 2004 to spread digital culture by building communities, supporting knowledge-sharing initiatives and providing strategic and operational consulting through Search On Consulting in Digital Marketing and Digital Transformation for major companies. Search On Media Group’s experience and expertise have also led to the creation of its Event Agency Business Unit, which organizes WMF as well as proprietary and client events, and ibrida.io, a platform for managing online, hybrid and in-person events in a flexible and customizable way.
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Why it matters: As AI investment surges globally, events like AI For Future serve as critical bridges between European innovation and American capital. The competition’s winners will gain access to a global stage spanning Italy, Saudi Arabia, and beyond, highlighting how cross-border collaboration is becoming essential for startups seeking scale and impact in the AI economy.
