Fund the Future
A real-deal pitching arena for AI startups — pitch live in front of 20+ Vietnamese & international VCs, with the finale on the Conviction stage.
Program & Events
What Fund the Future is, the Conviction 2026 finale stage, and real photos from the 2025 season.
The finale on the Conviction 2026 stage
Global Blockchain & AI conference · August 14–15, 2026 · Thisky Hall, Thu Duc City · endorsed by the HCMC People's Committee, coordinated by VCCI.
The event atmosphere in real life
Program ecosystem
Organizers, VCs, communities, startups, media partners and speakers — the pieces that make the program.
Organizers & strategic partners
- SIHUB — Startup And Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City — co-organizer, host of the 14.08 qualifying round.
- THE EDGE ALLIANCE — organization & operations.
- Snappp AI — AI domain advisory.
- Conviction 2026 — global Blockchain & AI conference, host event of the finale.
The panel — VCs & Angels
Mission: discover and invest in high-potential AI startups — a panel of 20+ local & international funds engaged throughout the program.
Vietnam's Startup & AI Communities
A network of startup & AI communities carrying the program to thousands of founders nationwide.
- 10+ major startup & AI communities in Vietnam partnering with the program
- Amplifying the startup open call & the program's media campaigns
- Reaching thousands of founders nationwide
- Community members attend in person at the competition rounds & Conviction
Startups — join & learn
- 60+ AI startups on a hands-on pitching journey
- Pitching experience sharing by The Edge Alliance
- Demo Day & Audition 14.08 — product demos, mentor-led pitching, then a 20-minute pitch before the Judging panel
- Selected startups pitch the finale on the Conviction 2026 stage before 45,000+ expected attendees
- Join the networking Gala with VCs
Media Partners — press & media
Mainstream press and media companies covering the entire program — 50+ press & media partners, with a combined channel network of 2M+ followers.
- VTV Money — official media patron, covering the entire program.
- Business & tech outlets covering key milestones: launch, finale, awards.
- Articles & interviews at every stage of the season.
- Content production partners: recaps, videos, event photography.
- Multi-platform amplification: websites, social media, community channels.
- A combined 2M+ followers across the partner network.
Full 50M+ impressions commitment — see Part 04 · Sponsorship packages.
Speakers & Judging panel
Industry experts giving back — 200+ global speakers at Conviction 2026; the Fund the Future Judging panel scores the Audition directly & mentors the startups.
Timeline
Demo Day and two competition rounds in August 2026 — each session closes with a networking mixer.
Sponsorship packages
Unified media commitment, booth & event spaces, sponsorship tiers and add-on packages.
Over 50 million impressions
The reach commitment is consolidated into Conviction's overall media commitment — one unified total for the entire program, not split in two.
All media value is ONE single commitment, allocated by sponsorship tier — sponsors receive a consolidated reach report after the program.
Community Partner
No money changes hands — your community promotes & refers, the program shares its full media library, tickets & commission.
- You contribute: 3 promo posts (before – during – after · ready-made captions) · rally AI startups to join · refer sponsors
- The full event media library — pro photos, recap video, highlight clips · repost rights with credit
- 48h early access — receive media before public release
- Guest tickets for your members at Conviction 2026 — quantity by partner tier
- Cross-promotion — a feature across The Edge's 2M+ channel network & your name on the Community Wall
- Your community's own photo set — a photographer captures your members at the event
- 20% commission on every sponsorship deal closed from your referral
- Free The Edge Alliance community membership
A 20% share of every deal
You open the door — the organizers pitch & close. Commission paid in real money, transparent under deal registration.
- Register the deal before connecting — name the company so the organizers log it · first to register owns the deal
- You make the intro — the organizers pitch & close, no selling required
- Paid out once the contract completes & funds are received
- Applies to the $100 – $7,000 packages · the $20,000 Gala Dinner is negotiated separately
- Not stackable with other discount programs
- Examples: Digital Booth $2,500 → $500 · Award Naming $5,000 → $1,000 · Bronze $7,000 → $1,400
