SEATTLE, Washington – 17-year-old Founder and CEO Rebekah Sun has launched Sunkiss, a digital community that connects curated brands and Gen Z girls to fight educational disparities faced by over 129 million girls who are out of school around the world.   

Sun first realized that her life goal and passion are to advocate for gender equality and quality education when she was in high school. “I wrote a research paper in a social entrepreneurship class and learned about the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are designed to ‘achieve a better and more sustainable future’ for everyone,” she explains. “I believe deeply that every person, especially girls, has the right to go to school because it can lead to more job opportunities and the ability for someone to contribute to their society. When I learned that 129 million girls are out of school worldwide, I was outraged. I just knew that I could not stand outside and do nothing.”

Sun launched a social venture to create awareness and support these girls through a self-sustaining economic model. She invented a unique business model that supplies consumer brands with cause-related content and donates the proceeds to girls’ education initiatives. Sunkiss connects these brands to a curated social network of Gen Z girls through an online platform with over 15,000 members. 

“Growing the network has not been easy, but we have leveraged a major advantage: my generation cares about global issues and really wants to make an impact,” says Sun.
“I knew that I could galvanize other females to use their voices in digital media to encourage consumer brands to join the mission, so I began with my friends, who definitely wanted to help.” 

Sun continues, “Once we gained traction, I then used social media to recruit more people and expand nationally. I was sure that more people around the country would be interested if I could just reach them with my venture and its goals.” 

Each day, Sun messaged girls to explain Sunkiss’ mission, connecting with those who showed strength and dedication to gender equity. “I told them that Sunkiss’ network of Gen Z’ers challenges and promotes brands that give back to girls’ education initiatives. We talked about how cause-related marketing is the core component of the Sunkiss online platform, and they liked that they could help girls receive an education by being part of a social network that posts content and testimonials for brands. More girls began supporting Sunkiss, and it has really exploded.”  

The model has been successful, Sun believes, because Gen Z girls are one of the most coveted consumer targets. “We are very viral, so we are using this strength to partner with brands for a greater cause. It’s really a win-win model for both the brands and the cause we are supporting.” 

 About Sunkiss 

Sunkiss is an online platform and community connecting brands with Gen Z girls for the purpose of building cause-related content around girls’ education initiatives. Sunkiss was launched in 2018 and grew from 100 content creators to over 15,000 today, all of whom are Gen Z, teenage females. Sunkiss was founded by teen entrepreneur Rebekah Sun at the age of 16.   

For more information on Sunkiss, please visit its website or contact: 

Rebekah Sun 

[email protected]