UiPath Kicks Off Automation Awards 2020 to Support Emerging Start-Ups and Scale-Ups in CEE

UiPath, the leading enterprise Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software company, today announced the launch of the UiPath Automation Awards 2020 competition. Open to emerging B2B software automation start-ups and scale-ups in the CEE region and Turkey, the competition rewards the most promising players and emerging talent in the software automation space with a EUR 50,000 cash prize offered by Microsoft, as well as mentoring hours, technical and marketing support offered by UiPath experts, and access to the company’s portfolio of global clients.

Building on last year’s successful first edition, which attracted applications from more than 16 countries, the competition aims to identify new technologies and companies in the region that can have a global impact and strengthen the larger ecosystem of automation solutions. Furthermore, UiPath is keen to reinforce its commitment to supporting the startup ecosystem throughout the CEE and Turkey, and foster innovation in the ever-growing automation space and particularly so at a time of crisis.

Over the past months, automation has proven to be a key factor in supporting public sector organizations and companies across many sectors to ensure business continuity amid the COVID-19 crisis. From enabling remote onboarding to support HR professionals, to helping doctors and nurses gain more time for their patients, to clearing up backlogs for airline carriers, automation has cemented its place in enterprises as a reliable, scalable, and cost-effective tool.

Automation startups and early stage companies can now submit their applications in two categories:

• Start-up Automation Award – open to start-ups up to and including seed-stage only, with existing teams of two or more people, which have developed a viable automation product and have obtained a total financing to date of $1 million. Award: Cash prize of €50,000, mentoring with UiPath experts, marketing and tech support over 12 months. The winner will also be offered the opportunity to showcase their solutions at UiPath events and on the company’s channels.
  
• Scale-up Automation Award – open to companies that have a solid team of 4 or more people and have developed a functioning automation technology they have sold to a maximum of 3 paying customers, and have obtained to date no more than $3 million in funding. Award: C-level mentoring and sales support, including the opportunity to present the winning technology to global clients hand-picked by UiPath and have their automation solutions featured in the UiPath Immersion Lab, at UiPath events, and on the company’s channels.
  

Automation start-ups and scale-ups can now send their applications via the UiPath Automation Awards 2020 submissions page by August 30, 2020. The grand winner in each category will be selected by our panel of judges: Violeta Luca – General Manager Microsoft Romania, Vargha Moayed – Chief Strategy Officer UiPath, Boris Krumrey – VP of Automation Innovations UiPath, Vijay Khanna – Chief Corporate Development Officer UiPath, Dan Lupu – Partner Early Bird Capital, and Stephen Allott – Venture Partner Seedcamp.

Vargha Moayed, UiPath Chief Strategy Officer, said: “All great technologies have shown resilience and proven their value in times of crisis. As the leader of the global RPA market, we have been driven by a mission to democratize access to automation technology and strengthen the global automation ecosystem. We are happy to be able to provide tangible support to the emerging automation champions in the CEE and Turkey.”

Violeta Luca, General Manager Microsoft Romania, said: “At Microsoft, we strive for what I call ‘meaningful innovation’ - products and services that improve our lives on a daily basis but also have the potential to change the world. This is why we feel both honored and excited to be part of 2020 edition of UiPath CEE Automation Awards, at a moment when society and economy need innovation more than ever to shape, through new opportunities, the journey towards a future we can all benefit from.”

Tomasz Wesołowski, co-founder and CEO of Edward.ai, winner of the 2019 Start-up Automation Award, said: "Participating in the UiPath Automation Awards has been a highly valuable experience for Edward.ai. Since winning the start-up prize, we have seen tremendous interest from investors all over Europe. What's more, the UiPath team's support has been instrumental in developing a joint POC that we are showcasing in the UiPath Immersion Labs.”

Adrian Daniel Cernat, founder and CEO of SmartDreamers, winner of the 2019 Scale-up Automation Award, said: "Winning the UiPath CEE Automation awards has given us the recognition of the RPA market leader for our automation module in talent acquisition. The support that we have received from the UiPath team has been essential in developing and democratizing automation for our customers, but also in consolidating our go-to-market strategies and other key areas."

The competition is open to start-ups and scale-ups from Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Turkey.