Dwello in the news
- Toronto, March 11, 2022: Dwello Inc announced today the launch of a new rent payment platform.
... and how it's going
This picture is of Varun's first home in Canada. He paid $450/month for the room on the top left of the garage.
Varun had a job with IBM Canada when he came to Canada. But he could not rent an apartment as he did not have a Canadian credit file.
He also needed to pay over $200 as security deposit for a phone line. These are the challenges that we at Dwello wanted to address with our new product.
In 2020, Equifax Canada became the first credit bureau to accept rent payments as a line item on the credit file. This opened up new options for Canadians with no or bad credit to establish a good credit score.
In 2021, Chris, Moussa and Varun came together on a product vision for Dwello with the goal of helping Canadians get equitable access to credit and boost their social mobility.
The team ran a panel through 2021 in collaboration with landlords to understand the impact of rent payments on credit scores. The findings from the analysis support the company mission.
In 03-2022 Dwello launches with the new, free offering for renters.
Varun
Chief Executive Officer
Varun is CEO of Dwello. Before Dwello he was a venture partner with Infernotions Technologies. He exited that venture with a technology sale of Polytab attribution analytics. Before this he was VP Business Development with Marketics that was acquired by WNS Global Services.
Varun believes that Dwello is not only the path to equitable access to credit for all Canadians, it is also a path to social mobility.
Varun's full-time job outside of the time with Dwello is being Dad. He enjoys exploring nature and discussing bugs with his daughters.
Chris
Chief Technology Officer
Chris is founder and Chief Technology Officer of Dwello. He has worked in developing the infrastructure for several e-commerce companies like Indigo and iHerb.
Before beginning his entrepreneurial journey Chris worked with Citi and developed an expertise in private label credit cards, as well as an understanding of credit scoring in his work with Equifax and Transunion.
Outside of work Chris channels his creative energies in photography and cinematography.
Moussa
Chief Product Officer
Moussa specializes in solutions in the financial services and insurance space. His expertise is in product development and ensuring customer delight.
Through his work experience Moussa developed an expertise in building software for collections companies, where he worked on projects related to Equifax and TransUnion.
Before Dwello, Moussa worked for Microsoft, American Express, HP and Citi.
We launched Dwello for tenants with a simple mission – to help responsible renters get credit for their rent payments. Renting gets short shrift versus home ownership in North America. There are indirect benefits of course but Dwello is the simplest, most direct way for a tenant to see an upside. By ensuring that the credit bureau recognizes rent payments towards the credit score we help tenants work their way towards better financial health.
We were once asked (Thanks Nathan!) – “isn’t it counter intuitive that you want to help people improve their credit score while encouraging them to get more credit?”. In our opinion, credit is a necessary tool for the modern world. For instance, few of us have the cash in hand to buy a car outright. But if working with Dwello could give tenants extra cash in the pocket at the end of the month.
We set out to alleviate the worst part of borrowing – the interest rate – just by doing something as mundane as paying rent. Whether you are starting out a new life in this country or aiming for a fresh start, we want Dwello to be a pleasant and efficient way for you to improve your financial stability.
Our aim is to help the millions of families in North America who rent get a leg up and save them money.
Sincerely,
Chris, Moussa and Varun.
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