Two Bloomfield Hills natives turned a University of Michigan class project into a tech startup that checks claims for accuracy in seconds.

Giulia Pincetti and Natalia Pataq, who both grew up in Bloomfield Hills but didn't meet until this year at U-M, co-founded Verum Technologies with fellow student David Vargas. The company's first product, an app called Verdict, lets users verify a post, video, or article before resharing it.

"We want to tie everything back to the truth and facts," Pincetti told Downtown Publications in a profile published Tuesday, July 28. "We hope this app can help communities in a good way with more productive conversations that take out emotions and misinformation and promote critical thinking."

The name Verum is Latin for "truth."

From class project to company

The idea grew out of coursework connected to UCLA's Initiative to Study Hate, which focused on mitigating misinformation. Pincetti, a sophomore at U-M's Ross School of Business majoring in business administration and international studies, handles strategy. Pataq, a political science major and research assistant, leads policy and public impact. Vargas, a recent U-M computer science graduate from Spain, built the technical side after the two women brought him on to lead development.

Verdict uses layers of AI-analyzed sources, pulling from academic publications, news outlets, and less reliable platforms like Wikipedia or Reddit. Each claim gets a confidence rating and a list of supporting sources. The app works on Instagram while scrolling, letting users pause and verify in real time.

A second app called Real Talk, which would check claims during live conversations, is in development.

Local roots

Pincetti graduated from the International Academy and played volleyball at Seaholm High School. Pataq lived in West Bloomfield until age nine, then moved to Bloomfield Hills and graduated from Detroit Country Day School, where she specialized in drawing through the Conservatory Arts program and competed in forensics.

Pataq is spending the summer of 2026 in Washington, D.C., interning on Capitol Hill in the office of Rep. Lisa McClain. Pincetti, who interned in Toronto the past two summers, plans to return to Bloomfield Hills next summer.

The founders stress that Verdict's results carry no partisan slant. The app is live, and a second product is on the way.