A social media start-up which aims to rival the likes of Facebook and LinkedIn says it has won a significant investment ahead of its autumn launch.

Entrepreneur Kieran Roper has secured the cash to help design, build and market Flippie, which already has thousands of people signed up.

The 30-year-old, from Westerfield, near Ipswich, and dubbed as Suffolk’s answer to Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, will unveil the platform during University Fresher’s Weeks across the country.

However, he believes other social groups will also be keen to get on board.

“Flippie allows users to seamlessly flip between two online profiles – a work and a play mode – on a single screen,” he said. “It’s a bit like having all the best bits of existing social media sites in one place.”

The system will have the capability to store unlimited images and videos like Instagram, display status updates and share information like Facebook and allow for real-time interaction like Twitter and Snapchat.

Kieran was given funding by the Princes Trust for a golf caddy invention when he was 18. The best thing about Flippie is its ability to separate work and play, he says.