James Sun of Pirq. (Photo by Red Box Pictures)

Inspired by Bill Gates, James Sun baked philanthropy directly into Pirq’s business model from the outset. Ten percent of the revenue from the restaurant deals offered in the Pirq mobile app goes to feeding hungry people in King County. “That felt right,” said the former star of Donald Trump’s The Apprentice. Now, cheap eats can help people in need.

“I’m inspired by big thinkers and blue ocean opportunities,” Sun says.

Editor’s Note: GeekWire has identified more than a dozen “Geeks Who Give Back” — people who work in non-profits, mentor others and invest in the future of the tech community. They were all featured in the GeekWire 2012 Calendar, given out at the recent GeekWire Gala. As 2011 draws to a close, we’ll highlight one of them every day, along with photography by Seattle’s Red Box Pictures.

James Sun is our calendar honoree for June. See this archive of the profiles we’ve published so far.

Thanks to our calendar sponsor for the month of June, Barokas PR, for helping to make this project possible. Stay tuned for more honorees and photos in the days ahead.

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