Carl Dumesle

Carl Dumesle is an entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of HUGS (Housing Undergraduate & Graduate Students), a startup that helps students, particularly international students, find housing and overcome credit challenges.

Background and Education:

• Originally from Haiti
• Earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra
• Completed an MBA at the University of San Diego in 2021
• Received the Dean's Graduate Merit Scholarship

Professional Journey: Dumesle founded HUGS in August 2021 after experiencing significant difficulties finding housing as an international student in the United States. His personal challenges inspired him to create an alternative credit scoring solution for students who lack traditional credit histories.1

Entrepreneurial Achievements:

• Won the inaugural Fowler Business Concept Challenge, receiving a $15,000 prize
• Raised $156,000 in friends and family funding to launch HUGS
• Grew HUGS from $90,000 in initial volume to a projected $1.5 million in business volume
• Expanded the company's services from international students to also help U.S.-based students with housing challenges1

Career Highlights:

• Founder & CEO of HUGS (March 2021 - Present)
• Previously worked as a Capital Markets Ops Analyst at CBRE
• Co-founder of Cartown S.R.L, an online community business in the Dominican Republic
• Graduate Assistant at the University of San Diego School of Business2

Company Mission: HUGS aims to solve housing problems for students by providing an alternative credit scoring system, particularly helping "credit invisible" students who struggle to secure apartments due to lack of credit history.1

Future Plans: The company plans to expand beyond San Diego, with a focus on San Francisco, and aims to partner with 20 schools by the end of the year.1