WeGaw signs an EUR 370K contract with the European Space Agency

The satellite data WeGaw uses is made freely available by ESA. The start-up then leverages Machine Learning and geospatial algorithms to process, fuse and extract features such as the presence of snow, its depth and the avalanche risk by combining satellite data with ground data. In Switzerland, WeGaw partners with the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) in Davos to gain access to more than 200 monitoring stations installed in the Alps. In addition to selling the resulting data, WeGaw offers an integrated solution –called DeFROST– aimed at mountainous touristic regions who benefit from operational savings and accrued safety levels by fully digitizing their communication towards tourists, maintenance and safety processes.

“Thanks to this second ESA Contract, we can finalize and start commercializing the prototype we built last year, while piloting the solution directly with tourism offices who look forward to its potential such as the Saas-Fee destination” – says Daniel Meppiel, Product Lead and co-founder at WeGaw.

With the Space industry itself worth over $350 billion, the Spacetech start-up scene is witnessing an acceleration in its funding, with 70% of the total raised funds over the past 10 years allocated in just the last 3 years. By targeting the underdeveloped Tourism niche, WeGaw deploys the first step of its ambitious plan: “Insurers, Infrastructure operators and the public sector are in the best position to innovate using the data we produce” –says Ion Padilla, CEO and co-founder– “our vision is to help reducing life and economic losses by supporting the right decision making, and after Tourism, DeFROST will adapt and move into adjacent markets for the benefit of society – that’s where we will head next”. The technology stack WeGaw is building, explains its CEO, will be the same to support its horizontal expansion to adjacent verticals.

Based in Morges, Switzerland, WeGaw was founded back in 2016 by its two co-founders Daniel Meppiel and Ion Padilla, both Software Engineers and ex-employees of CERN and Hewlett-Packard. The start-up has since then raised more than CHF 1.1M in funding, recently opened a second office in Málaga, Spain and grew to a team of 5 full time employees.