Dutch AI startup Serket has won an award in UiPath’s Automation Awards 2021. The annual competition is designed to award the most promising startup and scaleup in enterprise software automation. UiPath, the leader in enterprise automation software, began as a small startup in Bucharest in 2005 and has now grown to be the global leader in Robotic Process Automation. In order to honour its roots, the company has been running this awards program.
This year, UiPath has awarded its startup automation award to Serket, a Dutch automation startup based in Amsterdam. Serket uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computer vision technologies to help farmers manage their pig herds more effectively. The technology created by Serket not only improves efficiency but also significantly reduces the need for antibiotics use. The five year old company won in the category startup for the Central and Eastern European and Turkey-region.
Serket: Here’s what you need to know
Serket is an agritech livestock automation company developing a sensor-free artificial intelligence that uses camera vision to enhance farm operations in real-time. The startup aims to help the livestock management process by optimising labour, promoting individual animal health, reducing antibiotics use and thus improving day-to-day operations. With the mission of making agriculture a more natural and engaging industry, Serket wants to feed our future.
With a diverse and interdisciplinary team of data scientists, design professionals, business experts, and technologists, the startup based out of North Holland, has raised around $176,000 and is a disruptor in the Agri-Tech software industry. “Winning the UiPath Automation Awards is an incredible opportunity for us, as we are not only provided with financial support to further invest in our R&D, sales, and marketing efforts but are also receiving exposure, momentum, and credibility. We are excited to support producers around the globe to build a safer and more sustainable food system with the help of UiPath and AWS,” said Kristóf Nagy, CEO and founder of Serket.
Automation for good
In addition to being a promising startup in the field of enterprise software automation, UiPath particularly wanted to award a startup that aligned with its own goal of supporting Automation for Good. The company wants to use its Automation Awards as a means to amplify the potential of automation to make a positive impact across industries and on society. The awards and the winners this year will help eliminate the stigma around automation and its possible impact on jobs.
The 2021 UiPath Automation Awards attracted 120 entries from 19 countries in two categories of Startup Automation and Scaleup Automation. The winners were announced during the Wolves Summit event held in Wrocław, Poland.
What did Serket win?
As the grand prize winner under the Startup Automation category for 2021, Serket wins a cash prize of €50,000. It also wins director-level mentoring equivalent to 18 hours over a period of 12 months. The Dutch startup has also won 120 hours of technical support over 12 months. There is also marketing support up to 30 hours with marketing experts from UiPath.
UiPath teams up with the AWS Activate program this year and all the participants under the Startup category will receive AWS credits worth $1,000. All the shortlisted applications are entitled to receive an additional $4,000 while startup and scaleup finalists receive an additional $5,000. Serket and Powerful Medical, the winner of scaleup automation awards, receive an additional $20,000.
What is UiPath Automation Awards 2021
The UiPath Automation Awards 2021 is an annual award given to any startup or early-stage automation company in the CEE region. This year, the UiPath Automation Awards is held in partnership with the AWS Activate program. The companies from regions including Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Ukraine and Turkey are eligible to apply.
There are two categories – Startup and Scaleup and a panel of judges will choose one grand prize winner for each category. UiPath began accepting applications for the two awards categories on 3rd September and judges selected semifinalists on 17th September. The finalists were announced on 6th October where Serket joined other finalists Demoboost from Poland and easySales from Romania. The pitch contest for finalists was held on 20th October and winners were announced at the Wolves Summit.