In the centre of London’s start-up scene, are two young co-founders of what could be the breath of fresh air required in the currently tired social media sector. Marius Matei and Samuel Hu are co-founders of YouJoin and having secured three investors through the SEIS to kick start development, the future is looking bright for the former banker and business graduate.

YouJoin is in essence an interesting version of Linkedin, without the need to spend $100’s a year to contact people. With the added benefit of being able to make user profiles visually stimulating and multi-media rich in terms of content, not to mention the first ever semi-public profile option, it would seem that YouJoin has potentially carved a niche for itself in what is widely considered an industry in need of a shake-up.

YouJoin focuses on the new generation of social media users who are quite aware that any kind of online profile is akin to that of an advertisement for a personal brand. Image is paramount, and with the slick and modern appearance of the new venture, and the freedom to personalise the users’ page, YouJoin is set to be a revelation for those in search of networking opportunities or employment.

With larger corporations beginning to warm to the idea that it’s actually more about personality and creativity rather than the uniform haircut or shine of the shoes, Samuel Hu says ”With YouJoin, it is the photos, videos and personal goals you post which will set you apart from classmates or those with the same qualifications.”

The site defies convention in terms of the staid CV-heavy jobsites, and will certainly be of appeal to recruiters as they are able to access the information they need on potential candidates in a far more effective way than they are currently able.

To counteract the threat of over-sharing –a trait that has created the wide mistrust of Facebook – YouJoin has created the first and only semi-public feature anywhere in the world. This means that members don’t have to share everything with those they may not wish to, and recruiters don’t need to register and go through a protracted process to get the basics on someone.

The co-founders took £15,000 from three investors through the SEIS in order to further the development of their burgeoning site, and they are currently looking at further options via Angel Investment as they attempt to take their idea to the next level. For more information on YouJoin, please visit www.youjoin.com