The Amsterdam-based startup aims to democratize news by leveraging a global network of citizen journalists. The platform is harnessing blockchain technology to verify its content and keep a check on fake news.
Image: DW/B. Scheid
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The idea of Newscoop was conceived during the height of the Bosnian War. Back then, the online platform's founder Camilla Warrender, a professional pianist, was working in Sarajevo with her friend, Swedish actress Bibi Anderson, to provide cultural relief for the Bosnians under siege.
The political advocate in her soon realized how information was being manipulated by the Bosnian Serb forces and their supporters and how atrocities were being underreported by others who tried to avoid involvement which allowed the genocide to continue unhindered.
"By the end of the war I determined that I was going to do whatever I could to help young people inform each other about world events," Warrender told DW. "That was the seed of Newscoop."
More than two decades later, Warrender teamed up with Anurag Wakhlu, a serial tech entrepreneur, to set up Newscoop.
"We met at a startup meet and realized we had the same vision for a global news platform and community," 47-year-old Wakhlu told DW. "A platform where news is by the people, for the people and not news by a limited set of people for rest of the people."
GMF start-up boot camp: the contestants
For the first time, DW's Global Media Forum is running a boot camp for media start-ups. The entries range from online journalism tools to ticket buying platforms. Meet the start-ups that will take part this year.
The winners: Camilla Warrender/Anurag Wakhlu (Newscoop/USA)
Newscoop connects young journalists, university students, and young media activists around the globe for reporting, sharing and collaboration on news and public issues. By leveraging partnerships with universities and issue-driven organizations, Newscoop is rapidly growing a community of young global citizens who are humanizing the news. For their outstanding work, Newscoop won the 2019 boot camp.
Nehul Jagdish Kumar (AgriTimes/India)
AgriTimes's mission is to provide news and information to farmers in India. Currently available in English, they are also working on developing the platform in more than eight regional languages along with an Android app. AgriTimes believes there is a need to bridge the information gap between farmers, users and investors around the globe hoping to invest in India's growing agriculture sector.
Image: Privat
Eugen Gross/Mariel Prange (aiconix/Germany)
Aiconix focuses on online video optimization using artificial intelligence. While content producers create a video, aiconix provides the respective data about viewer perception and receptivity allowing for the assembly of an optimal video within a short time. The use of more relevant content engages users to watch videos for longer, thus maximizing success rates for advertisers.
Caminante professionalises the video production process. The medium has an ecological tone committed with the serious environmental issues that our country is facing, especially given the problems our country is facing and that the mainstream media in Costa Rica tends to neglect.
Sammy Mupfuni (Congo Check/Congo)
Congo Check is the first media outlet dedicated to the fact-checking in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Launched in January 2018 with the aim of fighting misinformation and fake news, Congo Check currently employs 15 journalists across the country. In February 2019, the enterprise launched its mobile application to facilitate access to its content.
Alharaca is a female-led media company that produces digital content about Central America and the Latin American diaspora. The creative power of the company is located at the intersection of journalism, academia, art, literature, and new technologies. The company hopes to strengthen equality, diversity and democracy using both its production methods and finished products.
Christina Quast (Journalisten-Tools/Germany)
Journalisten-Tools.de is a blog on digital tools for journalists. Its purpose is to support journalists with their digital work. The platform includes recommendations for helpful online tools in areas such as investigative work, organization, production and publishing, adapting to the changing needs of journalists in their daily work.
Image: muckphoto
Kouassi Attreman/Tsing Tsing Wu (Musel/Senegal)
Musel is a startup created in an effort to help cultural museums step into the digital age. Dwindling visitor rates and waning relevance among the digitized generation are some of the difficult issues that art museums are increasingly grappling with. In addition to the app, an interactive print magazine regarding digitization trends of museums in Europe, Africa and Asia will be also developed.
Vanessa Otchere (TicketEx/Ghana)
TicketEx is an online platform for the purchase of bus, movies and event tickets. The business has not launched yet but hopes to be operational by the end of the year. The platform aims to be convenient, simple and secure.
Spotlike is an app designed to help people with finding their bearings in different cities, with a firm emphasis on shopping opportunities. "Cities and their different neighborhoods depend on local businesses, not just for social and financial reasons. A city's diversity and attractiveness are also reflected in its local retail space," Spotlike explains.
Ksenia Shirokova (Sarafan Technology/Russia, USA)
Sarafan Technology has developed a machine-learning tool for native ad integration into video content. The technology recognizes products in videos and searches for similar-looking or recommended items from an advertiser's product feed.
The team behind Storystan is comprised of award-winning journalists who want to create compelling content for diverse audiences in under-served markets around the world. The company says that it has particularly identified a significant gap in the podcasting universe when it comes to content from outside North America and Western Europe, and content made by and for non-Western audiences.
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Facebook for news
The two aim to empower people all around the world by giving them a voice and also give the end users a "personal expression" of how a news event plays out in real life.
"Facebook brought a platform for people to share their social lives, in that way we are bringing a platform for people to share their experiences," Wakhlu said. "But in spirit we are like Wikipedia. There is a little bit of co-creation there, there is also a little peer-to-peer checking in Wikipedia, we are trying to build that spirit of fact-checking, co-creation and collaboration."
The platform is using blockchain technology to verify the content its contributors are putting out and to reward them for their inputs.
"We want to give back to the contributors. We eventually package that content to other media outlets, which is a part of our revenue model," Wakhlu said. "We want that money to go back to the people who provided that content. That's also why we are using blockchain, which is the strongest way now in technology terms to attribute who provided what and how much they provided."
Do you know what blockchain is?
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Media startup boot camp
Amsterdam-based Newscoop was one of the 12 startups shortlisted from across the world to take part in a boot camp for media startups organized by DW as part of this year's Global Media Forum (GMF). Newscoop was selected as the winner at the end of the three-day event for its potential to be globally scalable.
"I think they have a very smart model. It combines a trustworthy editorial platform with a technical blockchain-based platform," Joachim Vranken, a serial entrepreneur and a member of the jury, told DW. "They are using blockchain technology to keep a check on fake news. That was a key point that convinced us in the jury."
Warrender and Wakhlu will now receive tailor-made training from DW Academy and an opportunity to showcase their concept at the GMF.
"It's overwhelming. There were so many good startups in the boot camp, each different from the other — developed AI companies as well as younger companies with a real social purpose," Warrender said. "I think both Anurag and I see them as future partners for us and that is also incredibly exciting."
GMF Bootcamp: The jury
For the first time, DW's Global Media Forum is running a boot camp for media start-ups. The winner will be chosen by a jury of respected business people and investors. Meet the people you're going to have to convince.
Image: Dorothea Näder/Landesanstalt für Medien NRW
Dr. Ashkan Kalantary, NextLevel Director at PWC Germany
Ashkan leads PwC's start-up and venture capital practice as Director at PwC Europe. To help start-ups solve their scaling and fundraising challenges, he initiated two programs designed to push them to the next level: "Scale" and "Raise." Scale focuses on getting start-ups ready to scale and work together with big corporations while Raise helps them get investor-ready for their Series A round.
Image: Privat
Danijel Visevic, Director of Communications at Project A
Project A is an international venture capital firm based in Berlin that invests in passionate early-stage entrepreneurs and provides them with exclusive access to 100 experts. Danijel supports Project A's ventures with communications strategies, content creation, and PR. Before building up his department (A Com), Danijel worked as a journalist for RTL, Deutsche Welle, and Krautreporter.
Image: Privat
Ellen Schuster, Head of Digital Programming at DW
Ellen worked for UNHCR and other international organizations until she joined DW in 2001. As a reporter, she worked in DW's economics department until joining DW Akademie - the international broadcaster's hub for international media development. Since 2014, Ellen has been focusing on new technologies and trends in journalism.
Image: Florian Görner/DW
Joachim Vranken, CEO Upmarket GmbH
Joachim is a serial entrepreneur and avid networker. In 2005, he founded kalaydo.de - Germany’s largest regional classifieds marketplace. Since then, he has been active as a dedicated networker, investor and start-up mentor. He has also been supporting DMEXCO, one of the largest Tech-Events in Europe, since 2017.
Image: Privat
Peter Richarz, Managing Partner at Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures GmbH
Peter is a passionate entrepreneur and tech investor. He has more than 20 years of experience in venture capital. Since 2011, Peter is partner at Cologne-based company builder "Crossventures" and co-founder of design-bestseller.de, one of the fastest-growing e-commerce platforms for design furniture. Peter is also co-initiator and managing partner of Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures in Cologne.
Image: Teymur Madjderey
Simone Jost-Westendorf, Head of Vor Ort NRW
Vor Ort NRW is the journalism lab of "Landesanstalt für Medien NRW" - the state authority in charge of supporting local media in North Rhine-Westphalia. Based in Düsseldorf, Vor Ort NRW funds innovative journalism and helps media start-ups in the state to set up businesses and create innovative and user-centered media products.
Image: Dorothea Näder/Landesanstalt für Medien NRW
