Redbrick Labs have formula for Youmeo social media success
Jun 23 2009 by Anna Blackaby, Birmingham Post
“It has transpired that we have been quite successful at generating ideas and then creating a business which has its own revenue stream.”
Mr Leavesley said he was still at the stage of putting in place the building blocks and systems to develop Redbrick Labs and would wait a while until he returns to the question of funding for Youmeo.
But Youmeo is not dormant.
It is steadily building its user numbers – currently around 430,000 – and Mr Leavesley is confident the site will provide a compelling case for investment as more and more people use the site.
The company has managed to secure some big hitters both from Birmingham’s business and finance world as well as major names from the social networking community to sit on the board.
Institute of Directors regional chairman Richard Boot has been enlisted as non-executive chairman of Youmeo and Paul Tusson, a former financial director of Tie Rack, has signed up as non-executive finance director.
The company has also recruited Angel Gambino, previously global vice-president of music and content at social media giant Bebo, as an adviser, as well as Carl Uminski, formerly director of search for Yahoo.
Youmeo was initially founded by teen internet entrepreneur Calum Brannan, who started his first business at the age of 15.
He then worked at London-based mobile social network Trutap before returning to Coventry.
Mr Brannan developed Youmeo out of the highly successful PPLParty site, a UK-wide website for clubbers.
He is now 20 years old and his companies have ten employees.
Mr Brannan and Mr Leavesley first met through Connect Midlands, an organisation which provides support and investment routes for technology companies.
“Calum was looking for somebody who had good sound commercial experience and an understanding of social media,” Mr Leavesley.
“I had previously done work for Connect Midlands on a social media business and they introduced us and we took it from there.
“This journey has been navigated together so I look after the sales and marketing, he looks after the technology side and we come together to develop solutions that sit across both of those.”
Mr Leavesley said there were definite advantages to being based in the Midlands, although the company has not ruled out the idea of opening an office in the capital.
“For Youmeo there seems to be a huge pull to London as that is where all the businesses are,” he said. “We are bang in the middle of the country, so we are never more than a couple of hours away from clients. But we may end up having a London office.
“It has probably been slightly harder to recruit people, being based in the Midlands, but the people we have found we are extremely impressed with.
“Social media seems to be a draw. We have had people all the way from Scotland and Sheffield who have moved down to Coventry.”
