About us

Overview

A startup from the founders of BreakingNews.com, Factal gives companies the facts they need in real time when the unexpected happens.
Global news events like wildfires, shootings, explosions and floods pose an immediate threat to nearby company employees, customers, facilities and assets. But in those critical early moments, information is scattered on social media with disorienting and often false details.
By combining technology with experienced journalists, Factal converts unverified information into trusted, verified data. Companies are able to identify highest-risk incidents and respond faster and more efficiently to protect people, avoid disruptions and even drive real-time automation. You can learn more on the Factal blog.
Is your company interested in seeing a demo and joining a trial? Email our sales team at sales@factal.com.

Mission

Factal is founded on a public service mission to protect people from harm around the world. We work hard to earn your trust through high standards in our code of ethics.

Team

Charlie Tillinghast, co-founder and CEO
charlie@factal.com
Charlie was the President & CEO of MSNBC Interactive, LLC. where he chartered the formation of Breaking News as an internal startup under a separate brand. During Charlie’s 13-year tenure, msnbc.com was consistently the #1 news site, as measured by unique users. Following Microsoft’s 2012 divesture of its stake in the MSNBC joint venture, Charlie served as CEO of a video content security company in England; and later as CEO of Seattle-based Mixpo, Inc., a digital advertising platform that was acquired by Netsertive. Charlie is the 2015 recipient of Geekwire’s Hire of the Year award.  He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Brown University.  

Ben Tesch, co-founder and VP of technology
ben@factal.com
Ben was the co-founder, technical director and creative director of Breaking News, leading the technology and design teams. Earlier at MSNBC Interactive (msnbc.com), he was the manager of the Labs Group, an R&D group of developers and designers tasked with conceptualizing new products and businesses. Prior to msnbc.com, Ben led the design and front-end development of Minnesota Public Radio and its network of websites for stations and programs, which won multiple Edward R. Murrow awards during his tenure. He also led the initial design and front-end development of American Public Media and its network of programs websites, one of which received a George Foster Peabody Award.

Cory Bergman, co-founder and VP of product
cory@factal.com
Cory was the co-founder and general manager of Breaking News. Earlier at MSNBC Interactive (msnbc.com), he worked as the director of new product development, identifying and fostering innovative product efforts. Prior to msnbc.com, Cory led the digital team at KING TV in Seattle, winning the highest national awards for a local TV site. Separately, he co-founded and built hyperlocal site MyBallard.com, which won a national Online Journalism Award; and Lost Remote, a popular media blog acquired by AdWeek. Prior to his work in digital, Cory covered breaking news for NBC News as an assignment editor and field producer. He has an MBA from the University of the Pacific.

Carson Baker, developer
Carson is a software developer in Portland, Oregon. He's been working with startups for over a decade: building apps for the web, iOS, and Android. Previously he's worked for Kickstarter, Set.fm, and the original Breaking News. On the weekend he likes to go rock climbing.

Rebecca Bratek, senior editor
Rebecca was most recently a producer on CBS News’ social team, where she managed the network’s flagship accounts, produced videos and wrote on a variety of topics. Prior to that, she was an editor for Breaking News, where she focused on politics and helped plan coverage of the 2016 election. She has an MA from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism in New York and a BA in English from the University at Buffalo.

Thomas Brew, senior editor
Thomas was managing editor at Breaking News and earlier served in a variety of editorial roles at MSNBC.com, including executive editor. Before joining the MSNBC joint venture in the mid-90s, Brew worked at newspapers for 19 years as a reporter and editor. In the past, he's served on the board of the Online News Association and the advisory council for the college of journalism at the University of Florida.

Sarah Burke, senior editor
Sarah is a television news producer and digital reporter with 8 years experience working across the US and internationally. Most recently she was a producer at VICE/HBO where she covered Trump's election and inauguration, US national security, Russia, and stories across the Middle East, Europe and Africa. She previously worked in network news for NBC and ABC based in London and Washington DC.

Jeff Landset, editor
Jeff is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who has worked as a television news producer at stations in Massachusetts, Las Vegas and Seattle. He produced the coverage of a deadly Amtrak derailment that won a 2018 Murrow Award for best Newscast in the Pacific Northwest region. He has a master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University.

Corwin Light-Williams, developer
Corwin is a developer in Seattle, Washington. He has worked on everything from video games to biochemistry software, as well as the original Breaking News. His favorite drink is an Arnold Palmer.

Ahmed Namatalla, editor
Ahmed is a reporter and editor who relocated to the US in 2017 after spending more than 13 years in the Middle East, based in Cairo and Dubai. He was a member of the Bloomberg News team that covered the Arab Spring and its aftermath across the region, writing extensively about economic crises that broke out in North Africa and the rising political and economic influence of Persian Gulf countries. He is fluent in Arabic and a graduate of Washington State University.

Ryan Ockuly, director of sales
ryan@factal.com
Ryan is a sales executive with startup, growth and management experience in security, unified communication, life safety and emergency communication. Ryan has designed, sold and managed successful delivery of technology solutions and service at the enterprise level for Fortune 1000, healthcare, education and government organizations. Prior to joining Factal, Ryan worked nine years at Alertus Technologies where he was an integral part of growth in sales, product development, partnerships and OEM channel relationships.

Jacob Quinn Sanders, developer
A versatile reporter and editor for more than a decade before becoming a software developer, Jacob is intimately familiar with covering, supervising and building technology around breaking news events. He began covering law-enforcement on both coasts and in the South before reimagining crucial real-time workflows and content strategies at Western Pennsylvania's largest news operation. After a jump into tech, he wrote software relied on during statewide emergencies.

Jillian Stampher, managing editor
jillian@factal.com
Jillian is a journalist with a focus on news editing and mobile platforms. Most recently at HuffPost, she worked as a front page editor, assigning and editing evening news coverage, often as the only editor on the site. While there, Jillian helped redevelop HuffPost’s editorial mobile initiatives, tracking alert analytics and coordinating the launch of push categories. Prior to HuffPost, Jillian was an editor at Breaking News, where she covered major stories from the aftermath of the Boston bombing to the Nice terrorist attack while also growing Breaking News’ social platforms.

Lucy Swinnen, editor
Lucy began her journalism career in 2012 in Sydney, Australia with Fairfax Media and has worked for the company across Australia and New Zealand. Most recently she worked for New Zealand's most visited national news website: Stuff.co.nz and Wellington's main daily newspaper The Dominion Post. She has lived and researched in Egypt and Turkey and has an interest in religion, politics and social issues in MENA. She is passionate about the great outdoors and has done some combination of hiking, kayaking and climbing trips in Asia, New Zealand and Australia.

Joe Veyera, editor
Joe was the editor of the Queen Anne & Magnolia News, managing the news operation of a hyperlocal weekly paper in Seattle. During his tenure, the paper won the Small Business Award from the Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce. Before becoming editor, he briefly served as staff reporter for the full chain of neighborhood papers operated by Pacific Publishing. He graduated from the journalism program at the University of Washington, and served as editor of the campus newspaper, The Daily.

David Wyllie, managing editor
david@factal.com
Most recently a senior journalist for BBC News, David was one of the first employees of Breaking News and a London-based editor for six years. While at Breaking News at NBC News, he was on the Emmy-winning team covering the downing of MH17. David also served as notifications editor for Sky News.

Investors

Factal's seed investment round was led by SeaChange Fund in Seattle with additional funding by Grubstakes, Frontier Angels, Sierra Angels, OF Partners and Dave Smith.

Press

Breaking News founders launch Factal, delivering real-time news and incident alerts to companies

GeekWire (August 2018)
This Startup Wants To Sell Verified Breaking News Alerts To Companies

BuzzFeed (August 2018)
I want bad news and I want it fast: That’s the business model for Factal, a business-focused company from the founders of Breaking News

NiemanLab (August 2018)

Jobs

We're hiring news editors, developers and sales execs. Interested in learning more? Email us at hello@factal.com

Editors (Seattle and London)
Factal is hiring journalists who believe in our unique mission to help protect people from harm around the world. We're creating a next-generation newsroom from the ground up, and we're looking for forward-thinking editors to join our teams in Seattle and London.
The ideal candidate:

Excels at real-time news judgment in a high-pressure environment
Can quickly write accurate and concise news copy that follows AP style
Is able to write transparently, explaining what we know and don't know
Has a knack for finding and making sense of news events from social media
Has experience using tools and techniques for verifying information
Thrives in breaking news situations and can cope with strong online content
Is familiar with global geography and the current state of geopolitics
Can understand more than one language (preferred but not required)
Can communicate effectively (and share cool ideas) with product teams
Is a self-starter who works well with others in a startup environment
Will be available to work a flexible schedule in terms of days and hours

Factal pays competitively, and we provide equal employment opportunities to all candidates.
Interested? We'd love to hear from you! Send your resume to hello@factal.com.