werover: Shaping a Greener Future with Robotics

Every remarkable story begins with a bold vision. For werover founders Balca Yilmaz and Caglar Erat, their passion for robotics and renewable energy converged into a clear mission: revolutionising predictive maintenance in the renewable energy sector. Originating in Turkey, their shared enthusiasm for underwater robotics quickly revealed opportunities far beyond the initial scope. Today, their innovative solutions help shaping a greener future, reducing the costs and risks associated with renewable energy assets. 

With their European headquarters firmly established in Bremen—the City of Space and innovation—werover has experienced significant growth as part of the ESA BIC Northern Germany. This strategic location has not only amplified their reach across Europe but also facilitated collaborations with renowned institutions and partners across the continent. 

Identifying the Opportunity 

The renewable energy industry, though essential for sustainable energy solutions, faces critical challenges when it comes to maintenance and early damage detection. Wind turbines and hydropower plants are particularly susceptible to costly, hazardous, and time-intensive maintenance procedures. For example, conventional inspection of hydropower plant tunnels involves draining vast amounts of water, allowing technicians to manually assess tunnel conditions. However, this method poses significant safety risks, including potential tunnel collapse due to the rapid fluctuation in hydrostatic pressure. Similarly, wind turbines regularly face blade damages caused by harsh environmental factors like lightning strikes, erosion, and structural deterioration, resulting in steep maintenance costs and frequent downtimes. werover’s innovative response to these pressing industry challenges combines their technological expertise with advanced artificial intelligence and robotics, significantly reducing both costs and downtime. 

From Underwater Robotics to Wind Energy Innovations 

Initially, werover concentrated its efforts on underwater robotics, specifically designed to inspect hydropower plant tunnels. Their first product, HYDROV, is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) equipped with advanced mapping software that utilises sound data to create precise 3D models. These detailed inspections identify cracks, sedimentation, and other structural damages early, improving risk planning and safety standards in hydropower facilities.  However, werover soon discovered an even greater market need in the rapidly expanding wind energy sector. Pivoting swiftly, they developed their flagship product, Windrover, a cutting-edge solution designed specifically for wind turbine blade maintenance and monitoring. “We pivoted last year and launched our Windrover product for the wind energy industry. Initially, we had no customers, but we had a strategy, and we followed it carefully. After just six months, we completed nearly 400 installations,” explains Balca Yilmaz. 

Caglar with HYDROV © werover

Transforming Wind Turbine Maintanence with Windrover 

Windrover represents a major leap forward for the wind energy industry. Powered by advanced AI algorithms and robust IoT sensors, this innovative system collects acoustic data from wind turbine blades, enabling real-time detection and analysis of potential issues. 

The key features include: 

• 24/7 Real-Time Monitoring: Continuous surveillance with proactive alerts, ensuring operators are immediately informed of any irregularities. 

• Early Damage Detection: Advanced machine-learning algorithms analyse acoustic data, detecting even subtle issues before they escalate into critical failures. 

• Damage Type Identification: Quickly differentiates between erosion, delamination, coating damage, lightning strikes, and structural cracks. 

• Plug and Play Installation: Simple, cable-free integration, ideal for harsh environments. 

• Mobile App Integration: User-friendly interface allowing remote tracking, comprehensive reporting, and immediate action when anomalies are detected. 

The implementation of Windrover has drastically improved maintenance operations for werover’s clients. Balca highlights, “With Windrover, operators don’t need to physically inspect blades regularly, so this reduces the downtime and costs. Customers also know exactly what’s happening with their assets at anytime.” 

Rapid Growth in Bremen 

In 2022, werover strategically relocated its European headquarters to Bremen, marking the beginning of their incubation with the ESA BIC Northern Germany. Bremen’s strong industrial roots, coupled with its thriving space and technology ecosystem, provided an ideal environment for werover’s international growth. “We were exploring different investment options in Germany, and Bremen stood out with its incredible potential. ESA BIC Northern Germany offered exactly the network, resources and credibility we needed to break into the European market,” says Balca. Through their incubation period, werover not only benefited from substantial business support, but they also gained essential visibility and validation. Balca explains, “having ESA behind you gives you credibility. Investors and customers take you more seriously. It became clear that being associated with the ESA BIC is just as valuable as the financial support.” 

Balca during a field day © werover

Building a Strong Team Culture 

A central pillar of werover’s ongoing success has been its dynamic and passionate team. Balca emphasises the significance of team culture and values, “diversity is crucial—not only cultural diversity but also in thought and approach. I value ambition and drive in my team members more than their initial experience level. With ambition, we can achieve anything together.” 

Balca herself, awarded Microsoft’s Successful Female Entrepreneur of the Year, exemplifies leadership in a traditionally male-dominated robotics industry. She underlines the importance of team spirit, “we have a really good team right now. We share a vision, work hard, and everyone is ambitious about building something impactful. This strong foundation enables us to keep innovating and improving.” 

Keys to Entrepreneurial Success 

The journey of a startup is rarely straightforward. For Balca, entrepreneurial success has been rooted in resilience, perseverance, and a relentless belief in the mission. Reflecting on werover’s early years, she recounts. “For two or three years, we didn’t earn anything. We struggled financially, and many times I questioned whether anyone would ever buy our product. But then, when we finally sold our first robot, it changed everything. I understood the importance of perseverance. Courage was key.” Her advice for aspiring startups and entrepreneurs: “You must constantly encourage yourself. You will face hardships, setbacks, and doubt. Courage is what distinguishes successful entrepreneurs from others.” 

Motivated by Ambitious Targets 

werover has steadily advanced from a fledgling startup to a respected name in wind energy digitalisation. Recent accomplishments include expanding to international markets and achieving an impressive monthly recurring revenue (MRR). “We set ourselves ambitious goals, like achieving $10,000 MRR within six months from virtually zero. Many investors doubted us, but we proved them wrong. Today, we have 16 loyal customers and an MRR exceeding $12,000,” outlines Balca. Their ambitious next goal? Dominating the European market. “We’re now closing a fundraising round aimed specifically at marketing and business development across Europe. Our objective is clear: achieving an 8-10% market share.” 

Vision for a Sustainable Future 

Ultimately, werover’s vision is to lead the global digital transformation of preventive maintenance in renewable energy. More than financial success, their mission remains deeply tied to sustainability and making the renewable energy industry both more efficient and accessible globally. Balca concludes with a clear and compelling message about werover’s purpose: “We’re not just innovating—we’re building a sustainable future. Our systems reduce downtime and costs, making wind energy more viable. We want people to understand that a small, dedicated team can achieve global impact.” With their continuous innovation, a dedicated team, strategic expansion, and support from the ESA BIC Northern Germany, werover is confidently navigating towards a future where renewable energy is both accessible and affordable—demonstrating the true potential of visionary startups in transforming industries and the world. 

Learn more about werover under the following links:
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About ESA BIC Northern Germany 

The Incubation Centre of the European Space Agency in Northern Germany (ESA BIC Northern Germany) is headquartered jointly with the Bremen aeronautics and space industries association at the Bremer Innovations- und Technologiezentrum BITZ as well as the Digihub Industry – two of the largest innovation and technology centres for high-tech companies and startups in the German federal state of Bremen. The ESA BIC Northern Germany brings new startup opportunities to the region and thus strengthens the aeronautics and space sector in the German federal state of Bremen. AVIASPACE BREMEN e.V. supports the incubatees with its network, public relations work and targeted coaching not only during the incubation period, but also afterwards as alumni. STARTHAUS Bremen & Bremerhaven is the central point of contact in the Bremen startup ecosystem and supports the startups on all issues relating to business development and financing. The ESA BIC Northern Germany is managed by Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO), an international networking and branding company for the European space programmes that also manages ESA BIC Bavaria with three locations in southern Germany. 

Since 2021, ESA BIC Northern Germany has also been offering its service to space-related startups in Schleswig-Holstein. The Technikzentrum Lübeck with GATEWAY49, AviaSpace Bremen and AZO jointly operate this extension of ESA BIC Northern Germany. As of June 2024, ESA BIC Northern Germany also offers its services to space-related startups in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The Innovation Port Wismar with AviaSpace Bremen and AZO jointly operate this extension of ESA BIC Northern Germany. There are also plans to extend ESA BIC Northern Germany to the northern German federal states of Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Berlin-Brandenburg.

Technical support of the ESA BIC Northern Germany, is offered by Fraunhofer IFAM, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence DFKI, DLR-RY Institute for Space Systems, Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar Research AWI, Universities in the State of Bremen incl. many institutes such as IUP Institute for Environmental Physics, Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity ZARM, TH Lübeck, University Lübeck,  Life Science Nord, Airbus Group, ArianeGroup, AES Aircraft Elektro/Elektronik System, Dräger, DSI Aerospace, Possehl, and OHB.