Launched this month, Sunroom is the latest creator app to join the existing mix that includes Patreon, OnlyFans, TikTok and, of course, Instagram. Co-founded by Lucy Mort, the former design director at Hinge, and Michelle Battersby, a former marketing director at Bumble, it’s the first creator app of its kind to be made for the purpose of supporting women and non-binary creators and to help them make money.
Here, in their own words, Mort and Battersby explain everything there is to know about Sunroom, from how it came about and how it should feel for users to be on, to how they picture it being used five years from now.
How Sunroom Works
Mort: “Sunroom works to make women and non-binary content creators money by connecting them with their audiences via monthly subscriptions, tips, and cheers (which are a micropayment). Creators bring their most loyal supporters onto Sunroom and typically offer them less filtered content, behind-the-scenes content, a deeper look into their personal lives or areas of expertise.
“All the content is progressively moderated through a women’s lens and we have industry-first safety features, including ‘SunBlock’, which is our anti-screenshot technology — along with zero-tolerance for bullying, harassment, or hate speech — so creators can express themselves without fear.”
What Sunroom Has to Offer Users
Battersby: “Sunroom features content from entrepreneurs, entertainers, models, podcasters, artists, educators, activists, athletes and public figures offering unique value adds as an extension of their current online profiles. The content they share is entirely up to them but we’re already seeing a raw, real, vulnerable side to creators. It’s feeling really special right now.
“On Sunroom, we want women and non-binary creators to have an entrepreneurial space that is really, truly theirs to own. Creators share anything from lifestyle and fashion content to personal news, business tips, gossip and dating advice.
“Users can also get acquainted with creators via DMs. Due to Sunroom being a members-only, intimate space, we’re hearing that creators are loving the 1-1 time.”
What Sunroom Offers Creators
Battersby: “Creators gain access to a dedicated space to make a living. We’ve built three ways to monetise on Sunroom:
- Monthly subscriptions
- Cheers, a paid reaction in support of a creators content (a micro-payment via [the in-app currency] beams)
- Tips, via comments and DMs to get connected with creators (a micro-payment via [the in-app currency] beams)
“We’ve also built anti-screenshot technology called SunBlock, which ensures what’s posted on Sunroom, stays on Sunroom.”
What Sunroom Should Feel Like
Mort: “We want people to think of how it feels to be in a Sunroom: warm, safe, and fully seen. We want people to think of a progressive, unfiltered, entrepreneurial, and comfy space where women and non-binary creators are doing whatever the hell they want, however they want to do it, and stacking their cash in the process.”
How Sunroom Came About
Mort: “After I left Hinge, I spent a lot of time on platforms where sex-positive and body-positive content was the norm. OnlyFans was one of those platforms. I spent some months getting to know creators on OnlyFans and realised two things: Women were making a lot of money on OnlyFans, and they also faced a lot of stigma monetising on OnlyFans.
“These learnings were both exciting and deeply frustrating to me. It was around this time that I got introduced to Michelle, and looped her in on the discovery I was doing. With Michelle’s background working on products that better the lives of women at Bumble, I was excited to partner with someone who could build a brand and a movement that would speak specifically to the needs of this group.
“Michelle began speaking to creators in her network who had considered directly monetising their audience, but hadn’t, because they didn’t feel personally aligned with the OnlyFans and Patreon brands. Throughout this process, we heard many stories from women and non-binary creators who were running into different issues with their content on TikTok and Instagram. Many had experienced shadowbanning, account bans, and other restrictions for producing content around women’s issues like childbirth, body image, pleasure, and sexual wellness, to name a few.
“We realised that there was a large group of women and non-binary creators who were looking for a product and mission-driven brand that occupied the space between Instagram and OnlyFans. We got to work, remotely at first, then we met IRL for the first time when Michelle moved to LA in April 2021.”
Battersby: “I received an email from Lucy in late 2020, I was locked down in Melbourne and was beginning to think about what my next career move could be. When Lucy introduced herself, I remember thinking ‘Where have you been?!’. Another Australian who’d been early [working] at a dating app, it felt like we absolutely had to meet.
“As soon as we spoke, I could sense Lucy’s intelligence, ambition and drive. She mentioned she was looking to build something in the creator space, and specifically, she wanted to partner with someone who was ex-Bumble. Her idea was strong and something I really wanted to explore further.
“I began researching the space myself, beginning to validate that there was an opportunity. Lucy mentioned the company should be based in LA and I had nothing tying me to Australia, so it was beginning to feel like a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t want to make the transition sound easy, because it wasn’t, I had to adjust quickly to the fact I was going to co-found a business and take yet another gigantic risk but all my senses were telling me it could be big.”
What’s Next for Sunroom
Mort: “We’d love to see Sunroom making thousands of creators serious income by the end of the year. Ultimately, we’d like for Sunroom to enable incredible freedoms and lifestyle changes for our creators.
“We believe that entrepreneurship is the best avenue to freedom and, long-term, we want to enable tens of millions of women and non-binary people to live and work in this empowered way.”
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