With over 50 teams, 40 mentors, and 30 real-world challenges, this year’s Cluj Hackathon, held from May 24–26 2025, pushed boundaries in agentic AI — and made space for some of the brightest young minds in Romania and beyond to shine. The three-day innovation marathon, hosted by Bosch Engineering Center Cluj, drew not only hackers and developers but also investors, accelerators, and founders curious about the next wave of AI-native startups.

Organized by Adrian Vlasiu, the hackathon aimed to harness the power of artificial intelligence to address real-world societal issues. Participants were encouraged to develop AI-driven solutions across various domains, including education, healthcare, and emergency response. The event’s mission was clear: to create impactful technologies that serve the community.

Now in its third edition, Cluj Hackathon has established itself as a consecrated name in the global hackathon scene, recently recognized by the Major League Hacking as one of the top 100 hackathons in the world.

“That kind of recognition validates the quality of our teams, our mentors, and the energy we’ve been building here in Cluj,” said Adrian Vlasiu, the event’s founder and organizer.

The winners? Three radically different teams united by one trait: they built useful, human-centered products with global potential.

First Prize: AI Interior Design Assistant That Understands Your Style

Filip Csibi, a computer science student at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, teamed up with Mark Renner, a theology high school student passionate about computer science and one of the youngest participants of the hackathon, to win first place with a product that turned heads.

Their AI-powered interior design app that helps users visualize room layouts and purchase suggested furniture in a few clicks. Using OpenAI APIs and DALL·E 3, the app generates personalized room visuals and learns user preferences over time. Ideal for people who move often or want quick, affordable design help, the app could soon evolve into a 3D and VR-based design platform.

Despite being just a duo, the team delivered a highly-polished prototype and impressed judges with both technical execution and vision. Filip said the experience reinforced the importance of teamwork — and they are already planning to expand the team for next year’s edition.

Second Prize: A Chatbot to Fix University Bureaucracy

Few things frustrate students more than getting information from university secretariats. Matei Botezat, Bogdan Buruian, Luca Balasoiu and Bogdan Biris, all four computer science students from Babeș-Bolyai University, created a smart fix: a university helper chatbot powered by Google Dialogflow and Cloud Functions.

Their idea? Free up secretaries’ time and reduce student stress by automating answers about scholarships, Erasmus programs, student IDs, and more. Mentorship from experts like Maria and Zoli (Fetch.ai) helped them refine the app’s business potential and prepare it for rollout.

The next step: test a prototype at their own university and explore expanding across campuses via European grants or university consortia. It’s a hyper-local solution with cross-border relevance — and a practical example of AI as administrative glue.

Third Prize: Angel AI — A Calm Voice in an Emergency

From travel panic to cultural misunderstandings, the Angel AI team tackled a universal pain point: what happens when travelers face danger in unfamiliar places? Their AI-powered assistant app aims to provide immediate, culturally aware support in high-stress situations — from medical emergencies to legal trouble or natural disasters.

Originally pitched as a dynamic travel planner, the idea pivoted mid-hackathon to focus on preventive alerts, real-time assistance, and actionable advice in moments of crisis. The team — Cristiana Constantin, Marius Manea and Bogdan Caraeane, all three students at  the University of Bucharest — received key mentorship on shaping their go-to-market strategy and decided to explore white-label partnerships with insurers, travel platforms, or even competitors.

With a rebrand in the works and small features being rolled out to collect traction and data, Angel AI is aiming to become a digital safety net for travelers worldwide.

Mentors: Cluj’s Secret Weapon

Mentors played a critical role in guiding teams toward clarity and viability. One of them, Mo Zidan, highlighted just how far the Cluj tech scene has come, not trying to replicate Silicon Valley, but growing with its own distinct identity.

He was also struck by the confidence and global mindset of young Romanian talent — like the 14-year-old who pitched fluently to a panel of international judges. For Moe, participating as a mentor was a way to “give back” and help build bridges between Cluj and other tech hubs in Eastern Europe and Asia.

“It’s not about copying Berlin or San Francisco. Cluj should link with other rising hubs — places like Prague, Budapest, Jakarta, Seoul. We have the mindset now. And the talent.”

One major evolution at this year’s event? Teams didn’t just use AI as a gimmick — they built AI agents that could act: book transport, send documents, or adapt in real time to changing user needs. Mo described this as “the biggest leap forward” he’s seen at any hackathon so far.

“This year’s AI agents weren’t just reactive chatbots,” said Mo Zidan, one of the lead mentors. “They were capable of taking action — booking taxis during emergencies or rerouting flights. That’s a massive shift.”

AI, Creativity, and the Future: A Bosch Perspective

As the host of the Cluj Hackathon 2025, Bosch Engineering Center Cluj provided not just the venue, but a fertile ground for forward-looking innovation. For Maria Barbatei, Group Leader of VR & AR Activities at Bosch, what stood out most was the breadth and relevance of the solutions.

“First of all, in this edition, the variety of solutions was extremely wide,” Maria noted. “The participants tackled problems from several industries, and especially the winners provided a solution which is relevant to all of us as it influences our daily lives and helps us to design our work environment at the office or at home as it fits us best.”

Beyond the creativity and boldness of the teams, Maria emphasized Bosch’s ongoing investment in AI-driven development and a data-first culture:

“I believe that the development of AI in the next five years will be fast-paced, and this is the reason why at Bosch we focus on data-driven development, and aim to foster a data-first culture while staying ahead with the AI advancements. We do this with the projects and activities in the data-development area as well as with building communities to expand these competencies in the organization with a rich mix of learning formats and collaborative activities.”

Bosch’s innovation programs don’t just support external events like the hackathon; they’re also fueling internal breakthroughs, with multiple invention reports being generated every year. It’s a model of how corporate R&D and grassroots innovation can work hand-in-hand — and how Cluj’s tech ecosystem is positioning itself for long-term, AI-powered growth.

What’s Next for Cluj Hackathon?

The 2025 edition marked a turning point — with agentic AI becoming not just a buzzword but a tool for building real products with real users. The energy was palpable. So was the ambition.

As the Cluj tech ecosystem continues to mature, the hackathon proves it’s not just a launchpad for code, but a catalyst for startups, mentorship, and international partnerships.

Organizer Adrian Vlasiu sees even bigger things on the horizon: an expansion across Romania and Europe, the launch of a Senior Hackathon for professionals aged 30+, and the formation of a European Hackathon League to foster a cross-border community of builders.

“We’re creating a platform where ideas meet capital, mentorship meets execution, and regional talent meets global relevance”, Adrian said.

One thing’s certain: the future of AI isn’t being built in Silicon Valley alone — it’s also coming from a theology high school student in Cluj, a chatbot for university offices, and a virtual guardian angel for tourists.

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On February 27, 2025, the LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator Demo Day took place at Hub UTCN in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, bringing together some of the most promising health tech startups. The program’s finalists pitched their innovative solutions in nutrition, psychiatry, surgery, telemedicine, and healthcare management before a jury of investors, doctors, and business experts. The event also featured a panel discussion on the collaboration between healthcare professionals and startups, as well as a networking session.

After five intense months of work, including seven workshops, 29 experts, and over 70 hours of mentorship and consultancy, the six most promising health & life sciences startups reached the grand finale of the second edition of LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator.

At the end of the Demo Day evening, Argus AI won the Best Startup, Jury’s Choice, while Neurocare was awarded the Best Startup, Public’s Choice, recognizing their outstanding contributions to health innovation.

Argus AI: Augmented Reality to Support Neurosurgeons

One of the standout startups at Demo Day was Argus AI, a company leveraging augmented reality to assist neurosurgeons in reducing surgical errors, operation times, anesthesia exposure, and post-operative complications. Their solution integrates MRI/CT scans into VR headsets, allowing surgeons to visualize critical structures such as tumors and blood vessels, helping them better prepare for complex interventions.

Vladimir Verbulski, the founder of Argus AI, highlighted the immense value of the LevelUP Accelerator in shaping their journey. “The industry-specific mentorship and tailored sessions were exactly what we needed. The program helped us refine our approach and move towards real-world application,” he shared.

Currently, Argus AI has developed a minimum viable product (MVP) and is starting trials in collaboration with clinics and hospitals to gather feedback and refine their technology. They are also seeking €1.9 million in investment to sustain operations for the next two and a half years. “This funding will allow us to bring the product to market, validate its impact in real-world settings, and ultimately improve neurosurgical procedures,” Vladimir Verbulski explained.

Argus AI’s innovation and potential were recognized at the event, earning them the Best Startup, Jury’s Choice award.

Neurocare: Enhancing Dementia Care with Smart Wearables

Another promising startup at Demo Day, Neurocare, is revolutionizing dementia care through smart wearables and a connected platform. Their solution monitors vitals, activity, sleep patterns, and fall risks, ensuring greater safety for patients. Caregivers benefit from real-time insights and AI-powered support, while healthcare professionals gain access to data-driven patient management tools, leading to improved care coordination.

Founder Florin Leu, along with Vladimir Plotean, emphasized how the LevelUP Accelerator helped refine their strategy and accelerate growth. “The experience has been invaluable—we’re now better prepared to navigate the market and avoid past mistakes,” they shared.

The team is currently focused on finalizing their MVP by the end of Q2 and preparing for clinical trials. Their goal is to launch first in Romania, then expand across the EU. To make this happen, they are seeking a €500,000 pre-seed investment and strategic partnerships with hospitals and healthcare organizations. “We need strong endorsements to build trust and scale our solution effectively,” Florin Leu explained.

Neurocare’s efforts resonated strongly with the audience, earning them the Best Startup, Public’s Choice at Demo Day.

Other Startups That Pitched at Demo Day

Besides Argus AI and Neurocare, four other promising startups showcased their solutions at LevelUP Demo Day:

• Dr-Online – A telemedicine app that facilitates easy access to quality medical services. Through partnerships with doctors, clinics, and service providers, their platform offers virtual consultations, integrates medical devices, and enables efficient electronic medical record (EMR) management.
• Forkpie Kids – An AI-powered app that helps parents monitor their children’s nutrition. Users take a photo of their meals, and the app analyzes nutritional values while providing personalized recommendations based on Healthy Eating Plate principles. Parents receive daily and weekly reports to support healthier eating habits for their children.
• MaeveAI – An AI-powered virtual assistant designed to simplify the workload of healthcare professionals. MaeveAI automates tasks such as patient communication, appointment scheduling, and inventory management, allowing doctors to focus more on patient care.
• Smart Bites – A comprehensive nutrition solution, offering personalized meal plans, expert consultation, quick online grocery shopping, and ingredient delivery. Smart Bites simplifies the journey toward healthy eating for the entire family.

LevelUP’s Vision: Personalizing the Startup Journey

Reflecting on this edition of LevelUP, Anca Roman, Head of the Accelerator, highlighted the impressive progress made by the participating startups. “Innovation in healthcare is often a slow process, but with the right mentorship, expertise, and partnerships, we’ve seen remarkable growth,” she noted.

Looking ahead, the accelerator plans to further personalize the journey for each startup and explore a challenge-driven approach, potentially focusing on areas like oncology or green health tech. Another key priority is fostering long-term engagement through community events, bringing together alumni and experts to discuss funding opportunities and sustain momentum.

“We want to keep supporting startups even after the program ends, ensuring they have the resources and connections to scale,” Roman emphasized.

LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator

Launched in March 2023 by INNO, the North-West of Romania Regional Development Agency’s department responsible for regional innovation and attracting investors, LevelUP is the first accelerator in Romania exclusively dedicated to startups in the fields of health and life sciences. The program has been developed with assistance from EIT Health as part of their DRIVE program, further strengthening its commitment to fostering cutting-edge healthcare solutions.

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The EmpoWomen Programme launched last month their 2nd Open Call for its transformative initiative, empowering women-led deep-tech startups across European emerging markets and associated countries.

The programme offers a unique opportunity for startups to receive tailored acceleration, mentoring, and non-repayable funding, services, and prizes totaling up to €1.125 million to support their growth.

From October 1 until December 2, 2024, the Open Call for Startups will be open, giving eligible* startups a chance to join the EmpoWomen programme. During the 2nd Open Call, 14 women-led deep-tech startups will be selected. 

All relevant documentation and submission forms are available on the official website. 

Highlights from the First Open Call

During the first Open Call, among the 170 applications, 11 women-led startups were selected to participate in the 1st edition of the EmpoWomen Programme:

• HUGUP (Poland): Revolutionising pregnancy wellness with advanced support wear, HUGUP enhances the journey of expecting mothers.
• IPLEXMED (Portugal): Offering portable genetic diagnostic devices, IPLEXMED ensures health support is accessible anytime, anywhere.
• Astroteq.ai (Poland): Using AI-driven earthquake forecasting, Astroteq.ai provides life-saving alerts before earthquakes.
• Heilo (Poland): Protecting babies from polluted air, Heilo has developed an air purifier for prams and strollers.
• GOTECH Antimicrobial (Portugal): Developing antimicrobial technologies to fight medical device infections, GOTECH is advancing healthcare outcomes.
• IQ Biozoom (Poland): Pioneering non-invasive diagnostic tests for personal health management, offering pain-free solutions.
• Pinky CyberSafe (Moldova): Enhancing cybersecurity awareness for SMEs with AI-driven solutions to fortify digital defences.
• INNOSENSUS (Lithuania): Offering a personal biosensor for gluten detection, INNOSENSUS empowers food sensitivity testing.
• GMZ Enerji Sistemleri (Turkey): Leading the charge in hydrogen energy solutions, driving the transition to sustainable energy.
• P-Agro Minerals (Latvia): Providing phosphorus recovery from wastewater, offering a sustainable fertiliser solution for agriculture.
• The Newsroom (Portugal): Tackling misinformation with AI-powered tools to foster informed news consumption and critical thinking.

These startups are currently participating in a tailored 6-month acceleration programme, curated by Startup Wise Guys and Business Angels Europe. Each company will receive up to €45,000 in equity-free funding, along with mentorship, resources, and access to a supportive community. The Demo Day for this first cohort will be held on November 19, 2024, as a side event at the prestigious SLUSH conference in Helsinki, Finland.

About the EmpoWomen Programme

EmpoWomen is a two-year initiative (2024-2025) designed to accelerate and support 25 women-led deep-tech companies from Europe’s emerging markets, outermost regions, and associated countries. It is designed to provide women entrepreneurs with resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities, and aims to break down barriers and create a more inclusive ecosystem for female-led businesses. 

The programme is led by four consortium partners – SPLORO, an innovation consultancy firm specialised in cascade funding mechanisms, TechUkraine, NGO and media platform bridging Ukraine’s tech-ecosystem with a world, Startup Wise Guys, a global startup accelerator, and Business Angels Europe, the European Confederation of Angel Investing. All together with 8 startup associations from the widening area will run this innovative programme.

*  Only companies legally established in Widening Area, Outermost regions, and Associated countries are eligible. Widening Area Countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Outermost regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), Canary Islands (Spain). Associated countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.

For more information on eligibility and application guidelines, visit: https://empowomen.eu/ 

EmpoWomen has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 101120693.

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The inaugural Cluj Hackathon, the first hackathon in Romania focused on Artificial Intelligence, and Generative AI took place between June 16-18, 2023, at the Bosch Engineering Center Cluj. More than 115 participants, organized into 43 teams, enthusiastically joined the hackathon, making it one of the most successful events of this kind in Romania.

For three days, the participants had the opportunity to build and develop revolutionary applications and platforms, with access to high-quality mentoring, a wide range of resources, and networking opportunities, with participants from across the country. 

Remarkably, the youngest contestants in the hackathon were two boys, aged only 12, who independently acquired coding skills at home. Motivated to learn new things and connect with like-minded individuals, they opted to participate. With the guidance of mentors, they successfully developed an AI story generator. “It feels immensely gratifying when you code something and witness its functionality. That’s what drives me,” expressed Prisăcaru Thomas, one of the youngest participants in the hackathon.

The inception of the hackathon took shape when Adrian Vlasiu discovered the boundless potential of ChatGPT. His early engagement with OpenAI’s groundbreaking technology evoked a “deja-vu” moment, similar to the iPhone’s initial market launch. Fuelled by this profound insight, Vlasiu resolved to orchestrate a hackathon, thereby providing a platform for others to explore and harness the transformative power of this remarkable technological advancement.

“I wanted to organize the biggest hackathon in Cluj. And I wanted to organize the Untold Festival of hackathons to set a new standard in terms of satisfaction for the participants, satisfaction for the sponsors, and the whole overall experience of the competition. The engaging format of the Cluj Hackathon proved to be a winning recipe because the participants saw a different hackathon format. It’s not just about the competition or the prizes; it’s all about building community, engaging with each other, and succeeding by helping others succeed. We had very generous sponsors and top-class companies like Bosch that enabled us the hackathon location within Cluj-Napoca at the Bosch Engineering Center Cluj, one of the smartest buildings in the office scene in Romania. Untold Festival and Banca Transilvania supported our initiative, giving us a huge boost of confidence. And, of course, we had a scorching topic, artificial intelligence, and ChatGPT.”, said Adrian Vlasiu, founder of the Cluj Hackathon.

Out of the 43 teams which took part, team TestBusters emerged triumphant as they won the first prize in the hackathon. Their creation, an AI-powered solution for automated software testing, showcased ingenuity that pleased all the judges. There were other outstanding projects, and eventually, the score was tight. However, when measured against the hackathon’s primary objective of delivering a functional product within the allotted time, TestBusters stood firmly at the forefront, embodying the essence of the event.

“We have created a solution that uses artificial intelligence to test applications automatically, but not only does the test, it also creates tests automatically. With artificial intelligence, it’s possible to automate more and do more. Basically, those tests are needed in every software or manufacturing firm, so we can solve them by automating them. The goal of this kind of application is ease of use. The product manager or the product owner can use it because it’s very simplified; you don’t need to know how to code; you need to fill out a form, and the computer will be able to understand what you want to do.” explained their solution, Gaëtan de Smet and Stan Ciprian, two of the members of the winning team.

The second place was awarded to the Tech Titans, who worked on detecting anomalies in a dataset from a sensor system (car batteries). Their project underscores the importance of data analysis in solving real-world issues. And, not to be overshadowed, Brainiax took the third spot for their effective solution for detecting potholes on the road. As one of the lead engineers from Bosch pointed out, detecting and analyzing potholes on the road in real-time is one of the toughest engineering challenges in the auto industry today.

A team of mentors from diverse backgrounds in technology and entrepreneurship extended unwavering support to the hackathon participants. Their invaluable expertise and guidance catalyzed innovation and critical thinking, nurturing an environment where teams could thrive and unleash their true potential. Through their mentorship, these seasoned professionals empowered the participants, enabling them to transcend boundaries and realize their ideas.

“We started with 43 teams. I was amazed by how motivated they were and how fast they developed a functional prototype that fit the purpose they created it for. It was an excellent start for the participants, and I think that maybe all the startups should go through a hackathon at some point to kickstart their idea.”, said Smaranda Ignat, mentor.

“I’ve seen some great ideas, for example, one team taking care of the blind people and trying to integrate them in society by offering an easier integration in the digital world, like websites that can be translated into Braille, using speech-to-text. I’ve learned a lot from the teams. I believe this mentorship experience happened from both sides. I hope to see at least one or two of the teams hopping to the next stage and talking to some investors.” added Victor Dinică, mentor.

The host for the hackathon was none other than the Bosch Engineering Center Cluj. Renowned for its cutting-edge work in developing software and hardware solutions for automated, electric, and connected driving technologies, the center boasts an end-to-end approach. Bosch Engineering Center Cluj is a pivotal software hub in the realm of automated driving innovation, from crafting the software integrated within the vehicle to the cloud-based software that facilitates seamless connectivity.

“We’ve hosted the Cluj Hackathon to enable the community to grow because AI is a promising technology. Reflecting on our collaborative internal working environment, one of our goals as an engineering center is to develop with the local and international communities. We cannot do a one-man-show these days, it takes teams to build big things, and as a reflection of that, we want to be part of the community, the ecosystem and develop together with the universities, other companies, and startups.”, said Cătălin Golban, responsible for the Department developing Computer Vision technology for automated driving at Bosch Engineering Center Cluj.

When considering productivity enhancements, implementing AI can yield significant optimizations across various job domains, encompassing software development and testing. However, the realm of technology development is also profoundly impacted. Notably, Bosch has been harnessing the power of AI for an extensive duration, commencing a decade ago with the ambitious objective of assembling a team specializing in computer vision for automated driving. The outcomes of this endeavor have been truly remarkable, with millions of cars worldwide currently equipped with AI-based technology crafted by the Engineering Center situated in Cluj-Napoca.

“For us, AI is not new, but we see more and more new models emerging, which help us solve problems that previously were either unsolvable or maybe were solved by rather traditional algorithmic methods. The ecosystem consisting of startups and companies needs to adapt, it needs to professionally convert people in the software area to get familiar with using AI when developing features and as productivity tools. I think we should, as a community, not miss that train.

I also think such hackathons’ social and learning parts are essential. People came here to learn not only about technology but also how to pitch ideas and present what they think. I believe that big things can be done in teams, through collaboration, by sharing know-how and exchanging ideas; this is how the community will grow. Events like Cluj Hackathon are a big boost for the community.”, added Cătălin Golban.

With their sights set on the future, the organizers expressed their aspiration for the Cluj Hackathon to become an enduring tradition, extending its legacy into the upcoming year. Driven by an unwavering commitment to excellence, they seek to elevate the standards of hackathon organization, aiming to amplify the event’s quality and the unparalleled value it delivers to participants. By striving for the maximum return on investment, the organizers are relentlessly creating an even more remarkable and rewarding experience for all involved.

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Green Spots’s innovative urban solar charging station has been awarded ‘Project of the Year in Smart Energy’ at Romania’s Smart City Industry Awards 2019, which took place in Bucharest on the 11th of December. Green Spots provides safe, clean power for mobile devices in any outdoor environment. Cluj-Napoca was the first city in Romania to use Green Spots urban chargers in 2018, as part of a pilot project with UNTOLD Festival, the local authorities and an utility company.

“Green Spots is more than a smart city solution for charging mobile devices with renewable energy. It is part of our company long term strategy to develop regionally and internationally as a Romanian innovative business. Alongside the Green Spots project, we are developing Urban Regeneration Strategies for Romania’s cities together with the World Bank. Also, we are now having talks with companies in Germany, Malta and Abu Dhabi to implement Green Spots in those places in 2020. This gives us energy and trust to go further and we strongly encourage existing and future Romanian entrepreneurs to join us.”, said Cristian Danciu, Partner & Co-Founder at Green Spots.

The Green Spots project was launched in 2018 by a team of Romanian architects from Bucharest-based Triptic Studio. The charging stations that convert solar energy into electricity are produced in a factory in Braila, Romania. The electricity of the charging stations is produced by photovoltaic panels, which can supply energy up to 12 devices simultaneously. The built-in lithium-ion battery stores energy for a total of 300 charges, and the charging stations can be used both during the day and at night.

Smart City Industry Awards Romania (SCIA) is an annual event designed to recognize and promote the ideas, projects, people, government institutions, associations and companies involved in the Smart City Industry in Romania. The 4th edition was dedicated to projects under implementation. The main objective is to encourage the development of future creative-intelligent communities, in which residents feel a significant improvement in the quality of life. 

The 10 interest categories of this edition of SCIA were: Smart Mobility, Smart Economy, Smart Government, Smart Citizen, Smart Environment, Smart Living, Smart Energy, Best AI Project, Smart Education and Smart Real Estate and Residential.

Winners of Smart City Industry Awards 2019

Smart Mobility:

1. Transport Infrastructure Project: Baia Mare City Hall. Project: Cross-border green transport network – Ecological cross-border transport network.
2. Best Public Transport Project: Suceava City Hall. Project: Electromobility – Electric vehicles for a green municipality.
3. Smart infrastructure: Sixense. Project: Târnava Bridge, Sighișoara – Railway arch bridge, Corridor IV Pan European.
4. Best Ride Sharing Project: Mojito Software SRL. Project: BCR eGo-CarSharing.
5. Accessibility: Brașov City Hall. Project: Computerized management of the public transport system.
6. Transportation Alternatives: Curtea de Argeș City Hall. Project: Development of a modern, accessible and sustainable transport system in Curtea de Argeș Municipality.
7. Best Mobility Project: E-Government Solutions. Project: e-Mobility – A possible dream in Sector 4 of Bucharest.

Smart Economy:

1. Best Start-Up: Eventya Co SRL. Project: Eventya.
2. Young Smart Innovator of the Year: Over4 Association. Project: Over4.

Smart Government:

1. Digital City: Iași City Hall. Project: From Citizens and Sensors to Digitization.
2. Transparency and Access to Information: TUD Investment Consulting. Project: Budget Green.

Smart Citizen:

1. Civic Engagement: Iași AI. Project: Iași Smart City
2. Best Project: – two winning projects were selected:

• Craiova City Hall. Project: ARCA – Accessibility of procedures administrative by Reducing bureaucracy and digitization for BANNA Citizens.
• SC Life Is Hard SA. Project: City Health.

Smart Environment:

1. Best Smart Environment Project: Beia Consult International. Project: CitiSim – Smart City 3D Simulation and Monitoring Platform.

Smart Living:

1. Smart Tourism: SC Doorieapp SRL. Doorie Project App
2. Smart Health: Bolyai Babes University. Project: Smart Rad-EN
3. Best CSR Project: Zitec. Project: #1010.

Smart Energy:

1. Project of the Year: Green Spots Technology. Project: Green Spots.

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During the How to Web 2019 conference held in Bucharest between 30-31 October, the jury of the 2019 UiPath Automation Awards CEE announced the winners of the competition aimed to support the best teams in the CEE region and Turkey, dedicated to building B2B non-manufacturing automation software. SmartDreamers from Romania was chosen the winner of the scale-up category, while Edward.ai from Poland won the startup category.

“We chose Edward.ai as the winner of the startup category because they’re solving a real automation issue related to sales people, with a mixture of technology and deep understanding of the sales process. They’re using an interesting combination of technologies, and they are very focused. The scale-up category winner, SmartDreamers, are an interesting case of automation, they’re automating not the recruiting process per se, but the search for candidacy process. They are automating it and optimizing it, and we thought they have good traction, already having a couple of marquee clients, like L’Oreal and Siemens. They’re also solving a real automation pain point with a novel approach.”, said Vargha Moayed, Chief Strategy Officer at UiPath, and the competition’s champion.

The winner in the startup category will receive €50,000 in cash, mentoring hours with UiPath experienced executives, tech and marketing support. The scale-up category winner will benefit from introduction to 4 international UiPath customers, tech and marketing support and the possibility to have their solution featured in the UiPath Immersion Labs around the world. 

For its first edition, the competition has attracted more than 100 entries in the two categories, with applicants coming from 12 countries. The jury assessed the submissions according to criteria such as the passion and vision of the founders, the value of their technology proposition and its potential to answer a market need, and the size of the market for their product.  

“The domain of automation is expanding with the combination of RPA that we’re now mixing with Artificial Intelligence, document understanding, cognitive decision making, chatbots. So we believe that this novel approach to automation is a new enterprise category and as you can see already through this contest, the number of company processes that can be automated it’s very big, from finding candidates to helping salespeople, and again and again the RPA provide very flexible solutions that can be deployed rapidly and have very short ROI. I think we’re coming to a generation of more agile tools that with a combination of Artificial Intelligence and deep understanding of a specific area of the company you can come up with very novel approaches.”, said Vargha Moayed, being asked where he sees the future of Process Automation.

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UiPath, the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) market leader, announced the six finalists of the 2019 Automation Awards CEE. Designed for software start-ups and scale-ups from the CEE region and Turkey, the competition aims to support the best teams in the region dedicated to building the best B2B non-manufacturing automation software.  

The finalists in the two award categories of UiPath’s 2019 Automation Awards CEE are: 

Start-up Automation Award  

• Bulletproof AI (Czech Republic) – Security for machine learning;
• Edward.ai (Poland) – AI powered assistant for sales representatives; 
• Nifty Learning (Romania) – Operational intelligence for training;

Scale-up Automation Award 

• Aggero (Romania) – AI-powered audience analytics and influencer intelligence for gaming; 
• Applica AI (Poland) – AI-based software that automates the scrutiny and comprehension of unstructured text in enterprises 
• Smartdreamers (Romania) – Recruitment marketing automation software for companies; 

The six finalists will pitch their ideas live on the stage of the How To Web conference in Bucharest, Romania, on October 30 for the two award packages up for grabs. The winner in the start-up category will win € 50,000 in cash, mentoring hours with UiPath experienced executives, tech and marketing support. The scale-up category winner will benefit from introduction to 4 international UiPath customers, tech and marketing support and the possibility to have their solution featured in the UiPath Immersion Labs around the world. 

Starting mid-June and until September 2, the competition received submissions for the two award tracks: the Start-up Automation Award, which recognizes existing teams that have already developed a technical minimum viable automation product and received no more than $1 million in funding; and the Scale-up Automation Award, which acknowledges companies that offer a functioning technology, have a solid team of at least four members, a portfolio of three paying customers and received a maximum funding of $3 million. 

“We are thrilled with the quality of the submissions for our first edition of the Automation Awards CEE. The finalists have made solid propositions and have convinced us that their technology and passion for their product have the potential to open up and make an impact on their chosen markets. We look forward to listening to their pitch on stage and seeing them compete for a chance to gain UiPath’s support and mentorship as they seek to scale up further and have a global impact.”, said Vargha Moayed, Chief Strategy Officer at UiPath, and the competition’s champion.

For its first edition, the competition has attracted more than 100 entries in the two categories, with applicants coming from 12 countries. The jury assessed the submissions according to criteria such as the passion and vision of the founders, the value of their technology proposition and its potential to answer a market need, and the size of the market for their product.  

The jury of the 2019 Automation Awards CEE includes: Elisabeta Moraru – Chief Executive Officer, Google Romania, Vargha Moayed – Chief Strategy Officer, UiPath, Boris Kumrey – Chief Robotics Officer, UiPath, Andrei Roth, Head of Cluj Campus, UiPath, Ondrej Bartos – Managing Partner, Credo Ventures, and Stephen Allott – Venture Partner, Seedcamp. 

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UiPath, the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) market leader, announced the launch of UiPath Automation Awards 2019 – a competition targeted to B2B automation software startups from the CEE region. Ending in October 2019, the contest will award 50,000 euro in cash to the winner during a ceremony hosted at the How to Web conference in Bucharest, Romania.

UiPath Automation Awards has started receiving applications here for its two categories:

• Start-Up Automation Award – in this category, jurors will see applications from existing teams with a viable automation product and a maximum funding of $1 million;
  
• Scale-Up Automation Awards – in order to be eligible, the company has at least 3 paying customers, a solid team, and a maximum funding of $3 million.

The winner of the Start-Up category will receive a cash prize of 50,000 euro, 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 $7 billion evaluation, not long ago we were a struggling Romanian start-up 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.“, said Vargha Moayed, Chief Strategy Officer at UiPath and the champion of this project.

Applications will be assessed by the 5 jurors of the competition: 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.

The deadline for applications is September 2, 2019, and the initial screening by the jurors will occur until September 16, from October 7 jurors will make field visits and nominate 3 finalists for each category. These will present their pitches on October 30, during the How to Web conference in Bucharest, Romania.

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.

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