March 26 (SeeNews) - UiPath, a robotic process automation (RPA) startup founded in Romania, opened on Tuesday in Bucharest its first immersion lab in the EMEA region following a 500,000 euro ($566,170) investment, and plans to open more around the world.
"The company was founded in Bucharest, so our spiritual roots are here. Bucharest is still today and will probably continue to be our largest R&D centre," UiPath chief strategy officer Vargha Moayed told SeeNews at the launch event. "The proximity to the technical talent pool was also a factor, so it really made sense to start here, in Bucharest."
UiPath said it plans to open more such labs by the end of 2019 in cities around the world - including Bangalore, Seattle and Tokyo.
"All other immersion labs will be opened in cities where we have R&D centres," Moayed said.
The immersion lab is designed as a space where UiPath customers and partners can test their business scenarios in a controlled environment and overall explore ways in which RPA can contribute to their business' success, company representatives explained during the launch event.
The lab in Bucharest will remain the company's only such space in the region of Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). At the beginning, the existing teams in Bucharest will work in the lab, but as the facility develops, it will generate new hires, Moayed added.
The company expects both existing and new clients to use services available in the lab.
"The world needs to see how to understand and figure out how automation can help them. We are confident that it will be useful to our customers. We already have a long list of customers who want to bring their teams here and test our solutions," UiPath chief robotics officer Boris Krumrey said.
The company estimated the global RPA market has reached $3 billion.
Last year, UiPath managed to grow its market value to over $1.1 billion following various successful financing rounds, thus becoming the first Romanian unicorn company.
'Unicorn' is a business term used when a startup company is valued at over $1 billion.
UiPath was created in 2015 on the foundations of DeskOver - a company established in 2005 in Bucharest by entrepreneurs Daniel Dines and Marius Tirca.
UiPath is currently US-based and is present with 21 offices in 45 countries in North America, Europe and Asia, employing over 2,500.
($=0.8831 euro)