Essential News

San José, Costa Rica. July 20, 2023. Greenlight Consulting, a renowned Canadian automation company, and UiPath, a leader in business automation software, have come together to launch the first edition of the Costa Rica RPA & AI Hackathon 2023. This event will bring together hundreds of students and young professionals from across the country to learn about Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The hackathon will offer participants the opportunity to learn how to design automations with UiPath, the leading virtual robotics platform. Additionally, they will have access to a free 3-hour workshop; receive guidance from expert developers; and have the opportunity to solve one of three challenges to compete for prizes. The challenges are related to demonstrating the country’s value, addressing a community need, or solving a student problem.

With specialized advice from CINDE, Greenlight Consulting established its RPA Operations Development ("Bot Ops") team at the Solarium Industrial Park located in Liberia, Guanacaste and now shares its knowledge to help cultivate automation skills throughout the country.

"In a short period of time, we have discovered the incredible potential that exists in Costa Rica and we would love to see more people in the country immersed in the world of RPA and AI. We are very excited to give participants the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to industry experts, during the final competition that will take place at CENFOTEC facilities. As our Costa Rican operations continue to grow, we hope to incorporate more talented people into our Bot Ops team," stated Melanie Lam, Director of Innovation at Greenlight Consulting.

RPA and AI play a fundamental role in today's digital transformation. Businesses are looking for faster results, and automation can deliver the speed, agility, and cross-system integration needed to help organizations stay productive and cultivate innovation, while allowing employees to focus on high-value, strategic work.

UiPath offers the world's most powerful and easy-to-use AI-powered business automation platform. According to Diana Gray, Community Marketing Manager at UiPath, “At UiPath, we are eager for students to participate in community challenges and gain hands-on experience so that they may truly understand the value that RPA can offer and can enhance their employment opportunities with local companies, as they adopt this technology.”

Vanessa Gibson, the Director of Investment Climate at CINDE, highlighted the importance of initiatives like the hackathon in strengthening the country's skills and helping Costa Rica position itself as an automation hub. “In our role in partnerships with the multinational sector and our joint efforts to improve the business environment, we are proud to contribute to this type of initiative. Artificial intelligence, automated learning (machine learning), and RPA are technologies that CINDE has its eyes on, knowing that these represent new job opportunities in high demanded by multinationals”.

Who can compete in the hackathon?
Registration for the hackathon will take place through CINDE's GPS talent website, from July 26 to August 11, 2023. The event is aimed at anyone over the age of 15, with intermediate or advanced English levels, who is passionate about technology and is interested in either learning about RPA or delving deeper into the field. Participants can create groups of up to 4 people. It is recommended that at least half of the team members have experience in coding or related fields.

For more information, access the Costa Rica RPA & AI Hackathon 2023 presentation session on July 26, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Costa Rican time. Reserve your space via the UiPath Community: https://bit.ly/3pDkaFN. Details may also be found on the hackathon’s site: https://community.uipath.com/e/mra37c/.

About Greenlight Consulting
Greenlight Consulting, founded in 2008, is a Canadian company with operations in Canada, the United States and Costa Rica. They specialize in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) consulting and technology staffing. Greenlight consulting uses bot development to increase efficiency and reduce costs for organizations.
 
About UiPath
Headquartered in New York City, UiPath is a global company with development centers in the United States, Romania, India, and Japan. The company offers the world's most powerful and easy-to-use AI-powered business automation platform and hosts a learning community that offers virtual courses at no cost.

About CINDE
For more than 40 years, the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) has attracted foreign direct investment to the country. Throughout its history, CINDE has provided support to more than 400 multinational companies established in Costa Rica, in diverse industries including manufacturing, services, life sciences, and tourism infrastructure. A private, non-political organization declared of national interest, the agency has since 2017 – and now, for five consecutive years – been listed by the International Trade Center (ITC) as the best national investment attraction agency in the world.