Romania-founded tech unicorn UiPath launches competition for CEE automation startups

UiPath, the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) enterprise software company established by Romanian entrepreneurs, has launched a competition for B2B automation software startups in the CEE region.

The competition, called UiPath Automation Awards, is set to end in October of this year. It has two categories: Start-Up Automation Award and Scale-Up Automation Awards.

In the Start-Up Automation Award category, jurors will evaluate applications from existing teams with a viable automation product and a maximum funding of USD 1 million, while in the Scale-Up Automation Awards category companies with at least 3 paying customers, a solid team, and a maximum funding of USD 3 million.

The winner of the Start-Up category will receive a cash prize of EUR 50,000, mentoring hours with experienced executives within UiPath, and tech and marketing support. The Scale-Up category will award its winner with the introduction to at least 4 international customers from UiPath, tech and marketing support, and also with the opportunity to have its solution featured in the UiPath Immersion Labs all over the world.

“We at UiPath have not forgotten that, despite our current USD 7 billion evaluation, not long ago we were a struggling Romanian startup working from a Bucharest apartment with a team of 10 people. We know how hard it is for a brilliant idea to become a great company. This is why today we want to extend a helping hand to the talented entrepreneurs in this region so they may also realize their dreams,” Vargha Moayed, Chief Strategy Officer at UiPath, said.

Applications in the competition will be assessed by jurors Elisabeta Moraru, Chief Executive Officer, Google Romania; Vargha Moayed, Chief Strategy Officer, UiPath; Boris Kumrey, Chief Robotics Officer, UiPath; Ondrej Bartos, Managing Partner, Credo Ventures; and Stephen Allott, Venture Partner, Seedcamp.

Any startup or early-stage automation company in the CEE region (Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Turkey) is eligible to apply. The deadline for applications is September 2, 2019.

(Photo: Pixabay)