UiPath , a leading enterprise automation software company, announced the launch of the UiPath Automation Awards 2021, its third annual competition designed to champion the most promising start-ups and scale-ups in enterprise software automation. Through its innovative awards program, UiPath aims to enable the development of creative business ideas and foster the capacity to scale early-stage companies and entrepreneurial ventures from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Turkey.

Automation is critically important for enterprises that need to accelerate digital transformation and better support employees and customers with the help of software robots. The UiPath Automation Awards are contributing to identifying new technologies and products that can have a global impact and revolutionize the larger ecosystem of automation solutions. Building on two successful previous programs, which attracted more than 400 submissions combined, the competition has supported talented teams from the CEE & Turkey region to advance their automation projects and scale their development capabilities and market impact.

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The @UiPath Automation Awards 2021 for the CEE and Turkey regions are open, a competition designed to champion the most promising startups and scaleups in enterprise software #automation

Teams can now submit their applications for two categories:

• Start-up Automation Award – open to start-ups up to and including seed-stage only, with existing teams, which have developed a viable automation product and have obtained maximum financing of $1 million. Winner receives a cash prize of €50,000, mentoring provided by UiPath experts, and UiPath marketing and tech support over a period of 12 months.

• Scale-up Automation Award – open to early-stage companies that have a team of 4 or more people and have developed a functioning automation technology, have a minimum of three paying customers, and have not obtained more than $3 million in funding. Winner receives C-level mentorship and sales and marketing support, including the opportunity to present the winning technology to UiPath global clients, and have automation solutions featured in the UiPath Immersion Lab.

Applications are open May 25 to September 1; finalists will be chosen by a panel of judges. In October 2021, the finalists will pitch their ideas in front of the jury during the Automation Awards final, which this year will be hosted by the Wolves Summit in Wrocław, Poland, on October 20. The winners in the two categories will be announced live. Enterprise software automation start-ups and early-stage companies from 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, Serbia, Montenegro) and Turkey are eligible.

Vargha Moayed, Chief Strategy Officer at UiPath, said: “We know the triumphs and challenges that young companies encounter as they evolve and innovate. Given the fast pace of innovation in software automation and the technology’s huge yet untapped potential to make the world a better place, we are highly motivated and committed to help emerging players in the space to reach their full potential and scale globally.”

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Raul Pop, Co-founder and CEO of Neurolabs, winner of the 2020 start-up award, said: “Winning the UiPath Automation Awards has fast-forwarded our entrance and advancement into the automation space. The external recognition we received from winning this prize, combined with the hands-on, expert guidance from various UiPath teams, propelled our business forward and helped us navigate what until recently had been new territory for us.”

Dariusz Nawojczyk, Chief Marketing Officer, Salesbook, winner of the 2020 scale-up award, said: “Winning the UiPath Automation Awards reminded us that it is worth taking every risk while thinking about your start-up idea and that hard work will eventually pay off. The competition is a great launchpad for scale-ups in the CEE &Turkey that want to scale beyond the region. I encourage everyone to take part in the UiPath Automation Awards 2021 – you will have a great chance to test your ideas, your product, and your resilience, and that will already make you a winner.”