Originally from Budapest, Hungary, Gyuri Dragomir ’13 came to Trinity-Pawling to pursue a two-fold dream: to play hockey and receive an excellent education. Now a college graduate and ambitious entrepreneur, Dragomir looks back on his years at the School grateful for so much more – particularly its lessons in perseverance and, perhaps most importantly, problem-solving.
Dragomir is the CEO and Co-Founder of Deals en Route, LLC, a coupon distribution app built to serve the college town market. The idea for the app came to Dragomir and his co-founder, Ato Bentsi-Enchill, during their sophomore year at Hobart and William Smith College, when they recognized the major gaps in the coupon industry. “You don’t have to have the next best thing to be successful. The key, I think, is identifying a problem and finding a solution. We found several problems in the coupon industry and strategized a smart solution,” Dragomir shared. During his junior year at HWS, Dragomir submitted the app concept to the Idea Lab at Hobart and their idea began evolving into a reality.
Deals en Route has one mission: to become the most convenient, personalized, and user-friendly app in the coupon market. Using geo-fencing, Deals en Route creates specific hot spots at storefronts, based on the users’ likes, dislikes, and preferred price points. Thus, users receive targeted, personalized coupons on-the-spot.
Dragomir and Deals en Route took first place in the 2016 Finger Lakes Regional Business Plan Competition. In August, Deals en Route was submitted to the App Store and ready to beta test with 140 stores in Upstate New York. College towns are their main market—for now.
“I think there is great value in connecting college students with their surrounding areas,” Dragomir said. “Deals en Route makes those connections. It gives users a personalized and positive experience while supporting local businesses. It’s a win-win.”
Dragomir greatly values his experiences at Trinity-Pawling, particularly those that pushed him out of his comfort zone, and continues to use the skills in the way he runs his business. “T-P taught me to take risks. As a first year, I remember not knowing what to expect. I was so scared. But my teachers and coaches pushed me and taught me not to settle—for anything. Everything I learned there has helped me tremendously.”
Interested in getting involved with Deals en Route? Dragomir and Bentsi-Enchill welcome any fresh expertise! Feel free to reach out: gdragomir@dealsenroute.com. Deals en Route is available in the iTunes and Android app stores.