November 1, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — At the heart of the trendy SoHo district in Lower Manhattan, a startup school backed by Madrid-based IE University – one of the world’s foremost institutions of higher learning – is already making waves in New York – the global financial capital and hub for entrepreneurship and innovation.
IE New York College (IENYC), which opened its doors just over a year ago, currently has an initial 61 students from 34 countries – over 90 percent of whom are non-US nationals – pursuing masteral degrees: Master of Science in Business for Social Impact and Sustainability and Master of Science in Management, all completed within 11 months.
Next year, the portfolio will expand with a Master in Finance, Master in Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, and Master in Science in Strategic and Creative Marketing, Communication and Media, more than doubling its expected student population.
With its official recognition as an American university by the State of New York, IENYC students have access to unique professional opportunities and provide a gateway to global careers, including the option to work in the US after graduation.
“At IE New York College, the city itself becomes the classroom. Every street, theater, and skyscraper is a space to learn, innovate and grow,” said Manuel Muñiz, provost of IE University and chair of the IENYC board of trustees.
Del Alcázar (left) and Muñiz
“We combine academic rigor with real-world impact. Our students graduate with a global vision, an entrepreneurial mindset, and the skills to lead in a world shaped by technology, social change and geopolitical shifts. We are proud of our global identity and of our community of doers, disruptors and creators in a classroom that never sleeps.”
Diego del Alcázar, CEO of IE University, has noted a shift in career preferences among students, with a growing interest in entrepreneurship and alternative career pathways. He said students are moving away from traditional big companies to seek more autonomy and control, opting for startups, scale-ups, and corporate innovation ecosystems.
Additionally, he said non-traditional fields like service design and infrastructure finance are gaining popularity, offering roles in creative and technological sectors.
“So today, we are going to a world that is changing very, very fast. This is something we all know, we are seeing a huge technological disruption, very accelerated, or it’s going to be very accelerated with AI, this is generating many social consequences, and we’ve seen this for the past 25 years with, for example, social media and polarization,” Del Alcázar said.
Recently, IENYC hosted executives, entrepreneurs, and investors from around the world to discuss the future of education, the global economy and geopolitics. The gathering brought together IE University’s International Advisory Board – chaired by Nestlé chairman Pablo Isla, alongside the newly created board of trustees of IENYC.
Also part of the event was the debut in New York of the IE-initiated South Summit Scale-up Series, the global innovation and entrepreneurship platform, welcoming unicorn founders, investors and startup leaders to IENYC, including the founders of Oyster, Capchase and Seedtag, as well as funds such as Gilgamesh Ventures, Everywhere Ventures and Earlybird Venture Capital.
