A NEWARK man who has launched a series of businesses on the internet at the age of only 20 enjoyed an audience with one of the original young entrepreneurs.

Matt Lovett, who runs WOW Media, was one of six young entrepreneurs who dropped in to see Sir Richard Branson at his home in Oxfordshire.

The visit was part of the Virgin Media Pioneers Programme, which aims to encourage young people to launch businesses.

Matt uses WOW Media to run a network of services ranging from dating to holidays. He used his online savvy to secure votes which won him the audience with Sir Richard, posting a video blog which introduced his business.

Sir Richard said: "It is great to meet such a motivated group of young 'Pioneers'. If you have a good entrepreneurial idea, you should go for it, especially in the current economic climate. It's important we encourage and invest in new business ventures to kick-start our recovery."