Congratulations you are one of the finalists of the 9th Deep Tech Award! What does the Deep Tech Award mean to you and what was the motivation behind your application?
Thank you very much! Being nominated as one of the finalists for the Deep Tech Award is an important recognition and confirmation of our work against disinformation and misinformation.
We were motivated to apply because we want to draw attention to the fact that there can be innovative solutions to important social challenges such as fake news. In addition, participating in the Deep Tech Award gives us the opportunity to present our technology to a broad audience. At the same time, we look forward to networking with experts and other stakeholders.
Berlin is said to be one of the few German hubs for technological innovation. How do you experience the local tech infrastructure and how is it influenced by the Deep Tech Award?
With its vibrant tech scene, Berlin is indeed the ideal location for us. The city offers a dynamic startup scene, excellent networks, access to first-class talent and supports startups with outstanding funding programs.
The Deep Tech Award further strengthens this infrastructure by making innovations visible and creating valuable connections between companies, investors and experts. As a result, the entire tech ecosystem in Berlin is further revitalized and supported.
Let’s shift the perspective and talk about you a little more. You applied with your validation solution for digital content. Please give us a little glimpse into your founding story and your key motivation to build this product.
Valid was founded by us – Hans, Slava Daniel and Jens – in Berlin at the end of 2023. Hans, Jens and Daniel already knew each other from school and we were able to convince Slava, who already has start-up experience (Clevershuttle), of our idea.
Our concept emerged from academic research at the European Blockchain Center. The growing flood of AI-generated content, which often contains disinformation and spam, motivated us as news consumers to develop a solution that makes the source and authenticity of digital content verifiable. Since we consider an independent press and responsible reporting to be essential for our democratic discourse, we have developed a solution that benefits both media professionals and end consumers.
The opportunities offered by AI are enormous – it can make processes more efficient and open up new creative possibilities. However, the mass distribution of AI-generated content also entails risks. It is becoming increasingly difficult to identify trustworthy content, which is problematic for both users and platforms. High-quality journalistic content gets lost in the crowd and loses visibility.
Our solution uses blockchain technology and cryptography to verify the authenticity of media content. This creates transparency and trust for both end users and platforms. This allows us to maximize the positive benefits of AI while minimizing its risks. Our goal is to promote a safe and reliable digital space in which high-quality content is recognized and protected.
Why do you think your Valid made the finalists list and why is it Deep Tech?
We are really grateful to have made it onto the list of finalists. We are convinced that with Valid, we are addressing one of the most important social issues of our time with innovative technology. Of course, we have to guess at this point, but we hope that the jury sees it that way too. Valid’s solution is deep tech because it is based on future-oriented technologies that are deeply rooted in the technical challenges of modern information processing and security as well as socio-economic behavior. In our view, the combination of blockchain technology and cryptography can contribute to the creation of a trustworthy digital space that goes beyond the capabilities of traditional solutions.
What is the key technological innovation within your validation solution and why does it advance the state of the art?
Valid’s solution is used to verify the origin or authenticate the “authenticity” of media content. It is unique because it is transparent, secure and scalable. Valid is also tailor-made for the validation of news articles – by both publishers and journalists. This is done using a specially designed app that cryptographically signs the content created before it is entered as a “digital fingerprint” on the blockchain. Users can use this fingerprint to verify the source and authenticity of the media content.
The most important technological innovation in our validation solution is the scalable and secure connection of the media companies’ IT infrastructure with the aforementioned signature app and the blockchain. We are currently researching how to make the “fingerprints” of media content (in technical jargon: hash values) more robust so that they can be used reliably even in the age of artificial intelligence.
What was the biggest obstacle in your developing process? How did you overcome it?
With regard to the still somewhat clunky blockchain technology, one of the biggest obstacles was creating a solution that was as user-friendly as possible and integrating it into existing (legacy) IT landscapes. To overcome these challenges, we worked closely with experts from the blockchain and IT industry and carried out iterative tests. Thanks to our pilot projects, particularly with Berliner Verlag, we were able to receive valuable feedback and continuously improve our technology.
Thanks to these collaborations and an agile development approach, we have managed to develop a robust and scalable solution.
How do you ensure a seamless and engaging user experience within your validation solution, especially considering the complexity of Web3.0 technologies?
We conducted interviews with over 100 media experts, journalists and executives from the media industry and tested and further developed the solution together with journalists. The Web3.0 components of our solution were designed to provide increased security and transparency in the background without interfering with foreground workflows. We were fortunate to have access to very good UI/UX designers to improve the user experience – the feedback so far has been consistently positive.
What measures have you implemented to ensure the security and trustworthiness of your validation solution?
On the one hand, we use trust-building and transparency-securing technologies such as blockchain and Web 3.0 technologies. On the other hand, the solution is designed to reduce dependency on Valid. This sounds contradictory at first, but we want press publishers and end consumers to be able to use our solution without Valid, so that independent validation of media content remains guaranteed.
We are also involved in various forums to combat disinformation and are, for example, part of the task force against disinformation led by the EU Commission. There we work together with the major platforms and other stakeholders, such as fact-checkers, to develop the best approaches for combating disinformation and misinformation. We are also in constant contact with press publishers and associations in order to increase trustworthiness.
How do you navigate the regulatory landscape and address ethical considerations associated with Web3.0 technologies?
We are fortunate to have Hans’ regulatory expertise “in-house”, so to speak, in our founding team. In addition, we are looking to exchange ideas with the Web3.0 network here in Berlin, with experts from the European Blockchain Center and also through the Hanseatic Blockchain Institute.
What future trends do you foresee in the Web3.0 space, and how is Valid positioned to adapt to or drive these trends?
A clear trend in Web 3.0 is the tokenization of assets. This refers to the process by which real assets such as real estate, content (rights), company shares or other assets are converted into digital tokens on a blockchain and traded. This enables simpler and more cost-effective handling and greater liquidity of these assets.
Valid is well positioned for this trend in that we know both the world of value creation (in our case, content creation and its distribution) and tokenization well. Our goal here is to create synergies between all stakeholders – i.e. content creators and users.
What do you wish for in our technological or digital future?
First of all, we want a technological future in which users can check the origin of digital content themselves, disinformation is effectively combated and the benefits of AI are used responsibly.
On the whole, we want German companies and citizens to show the courage to embrace technological progress and use new technologies conscientiously. We want to be able to look to the digital future with confidence and curiosity rather than skepticism.
What advice would you like to pass to young entrepreneurs and tech innovators who want to reach their goals and maybe also want to take part in the Deep Tech Award 2025? Since out of 100 applicants you made it into the finalists, we figure you have some real pro-tips here.
Like so many other startups, it took us a few iterations to find and perfect our product-market fit. The advice to other entrepreneurs and tech innovators is therefore: Learn from the mistakes of others! Exchange ideas with other startups, relevant networks/hubs and, above all, potential users early on and constantly ask yourself honestly and critically whether you are solving a relevant problem with your solution. If not, it’s not the end of the world: start again! And come to Berlin, of course! :)
Thank you so much for all your fascinating insights! Deep Tech can not wait to host you at the Deep Tech Award 2024! See you on the 11th of July!
