Inside NYC Tech Week

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Earlier this month, the heart of Romanian tech pulsed strongly in New York City. 

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As part of NYC Tech Week, RACC-IT held its first-ever events in the U.S., and hosted at UiPath HQ, a symbolic and fitting venue for showcasing Romania’s growing impact in global innovation.

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Linnify was proud to be a sponsor of both evenings and actively contribute to the conversations shaping the future of automation and AI adoption at scale. 

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Here’s a full recap of what went down, what we learned, and where we’re headed next.

Day 1: Building moats in SaaS AI - What investors are looking for in growing startups in 2025

The first evening gathered founders, investors, and builders for a high-impact panel discussion on how to build defensible SaaS AI products in today’s competitive landscape. 

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Moderated by Flaviu Simihaian, the panel featured:

• Dylan Reider – Partner, Crew Capital
  
  
• Francesco Cassinerio – Angel Investor & ex-M&A Lawyer
  
  
• Patrick McGovern – Principal, Bowery Capital
  

Key takeaways:

• Growth expectations have surged
  SaaS AI startups are now expected to grow 2–3x faster than what was considered impressive in the pre-AI SaaS era.
  
  
• Customer churn is under the microscope
  With lower switching costs, retaining customers is harder than ever. Investors are looking for stronger long-term engagement models.
  
  
• You must build for the future
  Foundational models will rapidly evolve. Products need to be planned alongside that assumption to remain competitive.
  
  
• The hiring landscape is shifting
  As AI boosts productivity, fewer entry-level roles will be needed. The pressure to specialize and excel is rising.
  
  

It was a raw, insightful discussion on what it really takes to get funded and stay ahead in the age of AI. 

Day 2: From RPA to Agentic Automation - The path forward for tech-driven organizations

The second event was all about the enterprise shift toward next-generation automation. 

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Moderated by Linnify’s Co-CEO Catalin Briciu, the discussion featured:

• Feiran Hao – VP of Pricing & Product Strategy, UiPath
  
  
• Bogdan Capatina – Director of Global Data Management at Ford & President of RACC-IT

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Together, they offered a deep dive into the transition from rule-based RPA systems to agentic automation, a frontier where autonomous systems take initiative while humans guide strategy.

Key insights:

• Enterprise-grade AI must be secure and interoperable

At companies like Ford, data governance across hybrid environments (on-prem and cloud) is foundational when scaling automation that interacts with sensitive systems.

• Agentic automation is changing workflows

Agentic automation is redefining roles: agents think, robots do, and people lead. This layered model increases efficiency while letting people focus on what truly matters.

• UiPath is pushing the boundaries of this evolution

With features like evaluation flows and healing agents, they’re pushing RPA beyond task automation into intelligent orchestration that simplifies testing and improves reliability.

If you're still wondering what agentic automation really looks like in practice, we highly recommend reading:
👉 The Complete Guide to Agentic AI: Implementation, Benefits, and Strategic Considerations

A win for Romanian Innovation on the global stage

From VC insights to enterprise-grade transformation, these two evenings were a strong reminder of how Romanian-born companies and talent are helping define the future of AI.

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We're proud to have contributed to this milestone moment as sponsors and participants, and we’re more committed than ever to helping organizations leverage agentic AI to drive real business value. 

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Learn how you can learn how to implement it in your organization successfully. 

Special thanks to Bogdan Capatina, Feiran Hao, Flaviu Simihaian, and all speakers and attendees who made these events a success.

Onward, to smarter, more adaptive systems and a stronger Romanian presence in global innovation.

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