i. Biography
The Path
Product work and restaurant building meet early in Charles Ganem’s record, with each move carrying the same bias toward systems, speed, and tight execution. From Université Paris Dauphine to product-led ventures and then to Dumbo in Paris, France, the sequence is short on ornament and clear on method: build, test, refine, move. The founder role at Dumbo is dated 2018 to present, while his wider arc also connects him to CINQS, where he held a product role in 2014. Charles Ganem first moved through the early stages of his career as co-founder and CPO at Drop Notifications (2014), then as co-founder and president at Université Paris Dauphine - PSL (2014–2015). The sequence is brief on the page, but it shows how leadership, product thinking, and entrepreneurial reflex were already operating together. The pace was quick, and the roles set a working pattern that carried forward. Today, Charles is Chief Product Officer of CINQS (since 2014) and founder of Dumbo (since 2019), balancing product leadership with entrepreneurial drive. The two titles sit side by side as separate forms of the same discipline: one focused on structure and iteration, the other on a food project where the result is visible immediately.
The Work Today
The work reads as a preference for narrow ideas made durable through repetition and control. Ganem’s approach stays measured and exacting, with execution placed ahead of flourish. In that frame, the object matters more than the pose, and the standard has to hold every day. His own line on the subject is just as compressed: "It’s all in the details." That sentence fits the path as well as the product. A founder moving from product work to Dumbo carries a résumé built on systems and execution; at the Paris venue, the public-facing expression is food, but the underlying vocabulary remains precision. The appeal lies in reduction: a limited idea, held to standard. CINQS remains part of the story, too. Ganem held the Chief Product Officer title there in 2014, keeping product work alongside the founder role that defines his food identity. Taken together, the two threads point to a career that keeps concept and craft in the same frame.
Signature
Charles's signature dishes include smashburger, Vegan “Earth Burger, Cheeseburger, Fries, and Chicken nuggets. The list is compact, but it points to the center of the Dumbo proposition: a short menu language with a strong point of view, built around familiar forms made memorable by repetition and care.
Acclaim
Recognition here is tied less to awards than to the clarity of the work itself. Dumbo is the main public fact attached to Ganem’s name, and smash burgers are the specialty linked to it. The distinction is in how specifically the concept is defined, and how little extra framing it needs.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Charles
Where did Charles Ganem work before?
Charles Ganem's earlier career included Drop Notifications and Université Paris Dauphine - PSL.
What is Charles Ganem known for?
Smash burgers.
