Today we’d like to introduce you to Carl Dumesle.
Hi Carl, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in Haiti along with my 3 younger brothers. In 2010, my country experienced a disastrous earthquake that forced my family to move to the Dominican Republic. Right after we moved, my parents returned to Haiti, meaning that I was now responsible for my younger siblings’ well-being. During my time in the DR, I started my first two businesses and finished my undergrad before moving to San Diego in 2019.
When I first arrived to SD for my MBA, I found it really difficult to find housing as a foreigner with no credit history; that’s what fueled me to start HUGS.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was definitely not smooth sailing.
Haitians suffer from a lot of discrimination in the Dominican Republic; this affected me and my brothers on many levels. We were targets of bullying, slander, and lack of opportunity, among other things. However, we stuck together and got through it!
We’ve been impressed with HUGS, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m the Founder & CEO of HUGS (Housing Undergraduate & Graduate Students), an online platform that helps students find housing easily. Think Airbnb, but for student housing – property owners can list their available rentals, and students can book them.
It all started in 2019 when I had difficulties finding housing as an international student arriving in San Diego. Since I didn’t have a credit score at the time, landlords were constantly turning me away; it was very frustrating.
To solve that issue, I developed a custom credit score for international students that made it easier for us to qualify for housing in the US without a co-signer. Fast forward to today, HUGS helps all students, even US citizens, with finding trustworthy accommodation during their studies.
We’ve partnered with schools like USD and UCSD to make sure that students are able to find housing that’s safe and reliable.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I raised my younger brothers at an early age. When we moved to the Dominican Republic from Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, I was 15 years old. My parents returned to Haiti two weeks after our move and left me in charge of my younger siblings who were 13, 11, and 5 years old at the time. I was head of the household for the following 9 years until I moved out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hugs.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hugsliving/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/codumesle/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/codumesle_
