It all started with a Koala...
Our Story
Koala founder, Christian, was born with an oddly peculiar birthmark on his back.
His mom called it his "Koala" due to its iconic animal-like resemblance. Whenever Christian would go to the beach to surf, play volleyball, or hang out with friends, his mom would say, "Remember to sunscreen your Koala!"
After a decade of working in medical technology innovation and commercialization, and in social entrepreneurship as co-founder of a sustainability nonprofit, Christian was diagnosed with his first precancerous skin lesions.
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Christian became obsessed with skin cancer prevention and detection. However -- as a beach bum and outdoor enthusiast who was surfing, swimming, and training for the New York Marathon at the time -- he discovered that current approaches to sunscreen were not designed for someone who was high-risk and spent a lot of time doing outdoor sports or solo adventures in the sun. He also found sunscreen to be expensive, wasteful, and difficult to remember to reapply on time.
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Christian came to believe that sunscreen and suncare needed a "decades-in-the-making" makeover. He reimagined a more personalized, sustainable, and affordable approach for sunscreen and suncare that addressed the greatest barriers to effective sun protection while mitigating harm to the environment. Now that Christian is a father of a baby boy, he aspires for his son to grow up with a better suncare solution. Thus, Koala was born.
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Just as Christian's mother used to remind Christian to "sunscreen his Koala", Koala is an ode and tribute to parents who aim to better protect their children and loved one's from the sun's harm. Skin cancer is a leading cause of cancer in youth and young adults, especially women, and is rising. Only 10% of young adults apply sunscreen, and only one-third of them reapply sunscreen as required. Koala's focus is on innovating technologies and solutions that enable parents and youth alike to better prevent skin cancer and other UV-associated skin diseases.
Our Vision
Prevent Skin Cancer without Compromise
We envision a world where 100% of UV-associated skin cancers and diseases are prevented without causing harm to people or planet.
Koala is a health technology company that designs, develops, and delivers innovative, smart, and sustainable solutions to elevate the standard for suncare and skin cancer prevention for high-risk populations including youth, athletes, and outdoor enthusiasts.
Our Purpose
Pioneering Smarter Sustainable Suncare
Our Values
Innovation and exploration, integrity and excellence, global benefit & impact, leadership & growth
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Go boldly and beyond
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Make everyday a masterpiece
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First do no harm - to people or planet
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Be the krazy, kooky Koala you are meant to be