FIFTY coders, journalists, design thinkers, media production and entrepreneurs pooled talents this weekend for a 48 hour hack. The aim was to build a media startup from concept to market launch – culminating in a pitch to top venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.

The event was launched in collaboration between Media Innovation Studio and MediaLab Session. It was funded by RCUK’s Nemode.

The weekend was structured around brainstorming on the Friday night, through masterclasses and build time on Saturday then more development around business models and pitching before a panel of industry dragons came in on Sunday. Participants came from across the UK, with mentors from Brussels, Switzerland, Paris and London.

The full line-up showcases the range of attendants and goes some way to show the calibre of discussions.

The winning team was Verify.me a startup focussed on verification of social media from the grassroots up. It proposed a community moderation and meta system that enables accidental journalists to produce content that can be more easily verified: a much-needed tool for professional journalists and the user generated community at large.

Organiser Clare Cook talks about the hopes and achievements of the weekend here.

Keynote speaker Daniel Bentley talks media innovation at Circa