An 18-year-old computer whizz kid is hoping to become the next Mark Zuckerberg after earning the chance to launch his online business in Silicon Valley.

BRIT School graduate Andrew Brackin heads to San Francisco this summer where he will spend two years in the heart of the US computer industry.

He has been accepted into the 2013 Thiel Fellowship which rewards the twenty most promising under-20s with $100,000 to start a business.

The fellowship was set up in 2011 by Peter Thiel, an entrepreneur who founded PayPal and one of the first investors in Facebook.

He is the only Englishman on the fellowship this year and only the second Brit to win a place on the scheme.

Mr Brackin, from Warlingham, will use money for basic things such as living expenses but will also use it for his business and to enrol on conferences and networking events.

He is currently developing a business called Bunchy, an app which helps people fund raise for projects by using social media such as Facebook.

The 18-year-old, set up his first project when he was 14 which was an internet radio station.

When he was 16 he co-founded GetDealy which sold eBooks, software and tools for designers online. More than 20,000 people signed up for it.

Mr Brackin, who cites Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as an inspiration, also runs a quarterly event in Shoreditch which attracts hundreds of tech enthusiasts.

The tech enthusiast also helps out with Croydon Tech City, and said he would like to mentor pupils in Croydon and encourage them to set up their own business.

He said: "I had to fly out to San Francisco for the final round which involved a series of different interviews.

"I am very excited about it. There is a little bit of pressure as I want to move with the momentum.

"There is a great opportunity here and I just want to make the most out of it."

The next Croydon Tech City meeting is on Thursday, May 30, 7.30pm, at Matthews Yard.