Hugo Sandstrom, an exchange student from Sweden, fully embraced the vibrant culture of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley during the 2023-2024 academic year. As a dual major in Business Administration and Finance, he also explored data and business analytics, equipping himself with the skills to drive innovative solutions.
A pivotal moment in Hugo’s journey was co-founding BuyBye Marketplace AB, an online platform dedicated to transforming the secondhand clothing market. With a mission to “revolutionize consumption,” BuyBye aims to make sustainable shopping the preferred choice for all users. Collaborating with co-founders from his classes, Hugo developed this venture while at Berkeley, creating a dynamic team that spans multiple continents, all focused on promoting sustainable consumption practices even beyond his exchange year.
Reflecting on his transformative experience, Hugo attributes the spark of his entrepreneurial journey to the core values of the Haas School: questioning the status quo and applying first-principle thinking, as well as the broader UC Berkeley community. “The diversity, culture, and community here have profoundly impacted my life, and I am deeply grateful for my time at Berkeley,” he shares. He recalls an inspiring lesson from Chancellor Rich Lyons in Professor Laura Hassner’s course, Living with Agency (UGBA 156): “You can’t be what you can’t see.” For Hugo, coming from a small town in Sweden, the opportunities within the innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) ecosystem at UC Berkeley provided a vision that empowered him to pursue his ambition of revolutionizing consumption.