Chatbots aren’t the only form of artificial intelligence helping to streamline day-to-day work in the enterprise.

Organizations have also started adopting so-called robotic processes, automatic apps configured to carry out a specific task that are being popularized, thanks in part to UiPath SRL. The Romanian startup announced today that it has raised $30 million in funding to fuel its efforts. The investment was led by Accel and included contributions from several other backers including Earlybird Venture Capital, the largest startup fund in continental Europe.

UiPath will spend the capital on fostering more market interest in its automation toolkit. The main component is UiPath Studio (pictured), a self-service workbench for creating apps. Its most notable feature is a computer vision mechanism that provides the ability to train bots how to perform given task by way of example. An accountant, for instance, could use the software to record their screen while creating an invoice so that the process can be repeated automatically in the future.

More complex workflows, meanwhile, can be handled using a manual workflow creator included in UiPath Studio. The platform is offered alongside a management tool called Orchestrate that provides the ability to log activity and pass on unusual items that an app is unable to handle to a human worker.

The company claims that its software enables organizations to sort out low-value manual tasks for a third of the cost manual handling incurs. Moreover, the software eliminates the risk of human error in the process, which further cuts overhead by reducing expenses related to resolving administrative mistakes.

That pitch has won over more than 200 organizations, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., McDonald’s Corp. and the BBC. As part of its growth efforts, the startup will work to attract clients in more regions by hiring more sales people. 

UiPath is one of several players working to automate day-to-day business tasks. The roster includes both other startups and the likes of Microsoft Corp., which joined the fray in November with an IFTTT rival called Flow. The service can help automate chores that involve multiple applications such as syncing messages from a help desk system to Slack.

Image: UiPath