WEO: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Impact

Can you introduce yourself and share how WEO came to be?

My name is Imeshi Weerasinghe, and I’m one of the co-founders of WEO. Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Australia, I’ve lived in Europe for the past 14–15 years. My co-founder, Charlotte Wirion, and I met during our research. Charlotte focused on urban hydrology, while I studied water productivity in rural Africa. We noticed a critical gap: remote sensing research wasn’t translating into actionable solutions for citizens. Access to satellite data and its processed insights was limited, especially in developing regions. With our shared engineering backgrounds (and my MBA), we founded WEO in 2020 to bridge this gap.

What inspired you to base WEO in Luxembourg?

We studied at the Free University of Brussels. Luxembourg was a natural choice: Charlotte is Luxembourgish, and my husband is too (I’m now a citizen as well). But beyond personal ties, Luxembourg offered unparalleled advantages. Among them a thriving space sector with opportunities for finance, networking, and partnerships.

In terms of accessibility, in such a small country, we can easily connect with ministries and clients.

Then the different programmes available helped to immerse into Luxembourg's startup community, access to mentors, coaches and Luxinnovation’s incubator.

Luxembourg’s Ecosystem: A Catalyst for Growth

How has the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) and the broader ecosystem supported WEO?

The journey really gained momentum when Patricia Conti at the Luxembourg Space Agency pointed us toward the Fit 4 Start accelerator. That introduction turned out to be a turning point. Through the programme, we didn't just gain funding, we found mentors who challenged our thinking and a network that kept opening unexpected doors. The Luxembourg City Incubator became part of that story too, connecting us to an ecosystem where ambition in the space sector feels genuinely supported.

One of those connections led us to Luximpulse, a programme we wouldn't have known about had we not gone through Fit 4 Start. And that, in turn, secured us our first project with the space agencies, a milestone that felt like validation after years of research and early-stage hustle. What started as a single project has since grown into multiple collaborations with ESA. Most recently, we've been working on multispectral imagery to sharpen the accuracy and depth of our products, a project that reflects exactly the kind of work we set out to do when we founded WEO.

What other initiatives or accelerators has WEO been part of, and how has Luxembourg facilitated global connections?

We’ve participated in several accelerators, including the Cassini Business Accelerator (EU) and Accenture FinTech Accelerator (UK), which introduced us to the financial sector and insurance partners. We also took part in the QBE Leading Cities Accelerator (global govtech programme), where we won the humanitarian track and piloted a project with the Australian Red Cross.
These programmes connected us to global leaders, like Mike (CEO of Leading Cities) and Mayuri (Climate Director at the Clinton Global Initiative). Through them, we presented at Climate Week in New York and are now exploring projects in Afghanistan and Bhutan.

Luxembourg’s ecosystem amplified our reach, turning local support into global impact.

Technology & Innovation: Turning Data into Solutions

How does WEO transform raw satellite data into real-world solutions?

We process open-source satellite data (primarily from ESA’s Sentinel missions) to extract insights on climate impacts, vegetation, and infrastructure. Our clients use these to monitor, adapt, and build resilience, for example tracking canopy cover in Luxembourg municipalities to meet sustainability targets; mapping vegetation overgrowth along tracks to help CFL prioritise maintenance; and working with an architecture firm to assess flood and heat risks for building sustainability certifications.

We are also working with Mombasa, Kenya, where we are providing a heat dashboard to identify urban hotspots for tree-planting interventions (addressing extreme heat where residents sleep outdoors). And we do climate risk mapping for humanitarian and urban planning with the Australian Red Cross and US cities.

How important is it for WEO to work with developing countries?

It is extremely important. Developing nations often lack access to high-resolution data and are disproportionately affected by climate change. WEO uses openly available data to make our tools affordable and accessible for these regions. Our work in Africa, Mombasa, and (soon) Bhutan and Afghanistan aligns with our core mission: democratising satellite insights for climate resilience.

How does WEO adapt its technology to meet evolving client needs without launching its own satellites?

Our motto is: “There’s already a wealth of data, we innovate with what’s available.” We leverage open-source data like Sentinel’s 12-band multispectral imagery. We extract details using AI and post-processing tools and we combine satellite imagery with local datasets like Luxembourg’s geoportal to create transferable tools for regions with limited data.
The changing AI landscape enables us to continuously refine our models and pipelines, ensuring our solutions stay cutting-edge and scalable.

Challenges & Culture: Building a Mission-Driven Team

What has been WEO’s biggest challenge, and how did Luxembourg’s ecosystem help?

Access to clients was initially tough. As first-time entrepreneurs, we struggled with understanding pain points and pitching effectively. Fit 4 Start taught us to validate problems before solutions, offering a critical lesson.

Another challenge has been pressure from startup culture to scale quickly or raise funds. Not every startup needs to be a unicorn, and not every startup needs to raise. We've grown steadily, yet we're often asked: Why aren't you raising? Why aren't you growing faster? It hasn't always been easy to hold our ground, but our clients tell us we're doing something right. Their trust and loyalty come from the passion they see in our team, and that's something we're not willing to trade for speed.

How does WEO foster its company culture, and what role does diversity play?

We prioritise a horizontal, family-friendly culture with flexibility. There is no micromanagement, team members own their tasks and schedules. Passion is important. Our team of 8 (4 women, 4 men, multiple nationalities) is united by a shared mission to create a sustainable planet. Charlotte and I also complement each other, she leads the technical side, I handle business, but we both chip in everywhere. Our friendship and shared values are the foundation of WEO’s success.

As a woman entrepreneur, what systemic barriers have you faced, and how is Luxembourg addressing them?

Misogyny in the startup ecosystem is real, especially in investor settings. I once attended a pitching event where we were treated very differently from the male-led startups that were onstage before us. WEO was torn apart by investors, who dismissed our business model. An audience member later apologised, calling the treatment “completely unfair.”

We've also been on the receiving end of advice that essentially tells women to shed their identity to succeed. I refused to take that path, authenticity matters too much. Luxembourg is actively working to change this, but still only 2% of global startup funding goes to women-led startups. We need more women in decision-making roles to balance the scales. Charlotte and I speak openly about these issues on panels to drive awareness.

What advice would you give to someone starting a business in Luxembourg?

Do it. Luxembourg’s ecosystem offers unmatched support in terms of financing with Fit 4 Start and Luximpulse. Luxinnovation and the various incubators and accelerators offer networking and mentoring, providing invaluable connections. While the Luxembourg Space Agency and its international partnerships open doors worldwide. 

But be prepared: It’s tough. You’re always “on,” and work-life balance is a myth (I have two kids!). Banking is a hurdle, it took us 10 months to open an account (hopefully, this has improved).
Stay true to your mission. We’ve succeeded by growing at our own pace, prioritising client trust and loyalty over rapid scaling.

What’s next for WEO?

We’re expanding our hyperspectral imagery capabilities (via ESA’s upcoming Sentinel satellite) to identify tree species and materials with 10m resolution. This data will allow us to distinguish tree species (like oak vs. eucalyptus) and materials (for example., concrete vs. asphalt). This will enhance our accuracy in assessing tree health, carbon capture, and ecosystem services. We’re also scaling our global projects, from Afghanistan to the US, and deepening partnerships with humanitarian orga8nisations like the Australian Red Cross.

Six years since it was founded, WEO has grown from a shared frustration between two researchers into a team of eight working on projects from Luxembourg to Mombasa, and soon to Afghanistan and Bhutan. What stands out talking to Imeshi is how she and Charlotte have deliberately resisted the pressure to scale fast or chase funding rounds, choosing instead to build slowly around client trust. With hyperspectral imagery on the horizon and new humanitarian partnerships taking shape, WEO's next chapter looks a lot like its first, finding practical uses for data that's already out there, rather than waiting for something flashier to come along.