Welcome to the IENYC Hustle, a series that spotlights the unique voices shaping IE New York College.
Thinkers, creators, and builders who use New York City as the ultimate sandbox for ideas that extend far beyond it.
In this edition, we meet Gilles Andrea Raynaud, a Swiss entrepreneur and graduate of the Master in Global Business and Sustainability at IENYC.
For Gilles, New York City wasn’t a backdrop. It was infrastructure: financial, institutional, and human. To make it in NYC… and anywhere.
“I was born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2001, to an Italian mother and a French father. Growing up, I had the opportunity to live in seven different countries.”
This international upbringing shaped how he approaches risk, communication, and trust.
“This international upbringing played a fundamental role in shaping my adaptability, open-mindedness, and ability to build meaningful relationships across cultures.”
After completing his Bachelor in Business Administration at IE University in Madrid, he continued through the 3+1 pathway at IENYC.
“My experience at IE in Madrid had been so impactful that I felt ready to take on a new challenge: a new university, a new city, and even bigger ambitions.”
New York added scale and intensity.
“Arriving in New York without permanent housing and navigating the intensity of the city while managing a rigorous academic program and an early-stage entrepreneurial project forced me to adapt quickly.”
For him, the move meant proximity to:
Several moments during the year stand out.
“Sharing the pressure of exams and presentations with classmates at the SoHo campus, attending high-level events and meeting exceptional professionals at venues like the New York Stock Exchange, and representing IENYC at the Federal Reserve Challenge.”
The Federal Reserve Challenge led to two visits to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, offering direct exposure to monetary systems and financial governance.
Living across cultures also influenced how he approaches global business.
“Living across multiple countries taught me that communication goes far beyond language. It includes cultural awareness, empathy, and context. And in business, meaningful progress is ultimately driven by trust, relationships, and mutual understanding.”
Gilles’ capstone project focused on KIBO, a cross-border FX and payments infrastructure venture.
“My capstone is about the real story of KIBO, an IE-born cross-border FX and payments infrastructure venture that started in September 2024.”
The research examined how technology-enabled financial infrastructure could reduce friction in cross-border payments in emerging markets.
“The project addresses structural inefficiencies in cross-border foreign exchange and payments in Latin America, where businesses and NGOs face high costs, slow settlement, limited access to hard currency, and fragmented compliance processes.”
One of the central findings:
“One of the key insights was that inefficiencies in cross-border payments are not merely technical, but institutional and regulatory.”
The project required applying:
“Equally important was the program’s emphasis on systems thinking, understanding how finance, regulation, technology, and social outcomes interact in complex environments.The hardest part was designing something institutional and compliant in a corridor defined by regulatory uncertainty, banking constraints, and liquidity risk.”
Reflecting on the process:
“I was surprised by how closely academic and institutional research could align with real-world execution when approached thoughtfully.”
He describes the experience in three words: “Challenging, grounding, transformative.”
New York expanded his exposure to the investment and technology ecosystem.
“Attending industry events across crypto, financial services, and startups enabled me to build meaningful connections that translated into partnerships and early opportunities for KIBO. Consistent networking led to incremental wins, and over time, those wins compounded.”
He also co-founded the IENYC Venture Capital & Private Equity Club.
“One particularly memorable initiative took place during a16z Tech Week in New York, where interest far exceeded capacity.”
For Gilles, the city clarified how:
Entrepreneurship shaped his view on execution and long-term value creation.
“My first startup attempt in 2021 was a defining learning experience. Despite strong conviction, the venture ultimately failed. But those failures provided invaluable lessons in execution, resilience, and humility.”
KIBO became the next iteration.
“In developing economies, access to capital is synonymous with economic growth. Our goal is to build systems that serve both the smallholder farmer and the multinational enterprise with the same efficiency, transparency, and reliability.”
He defines impact pragmatically.
“True impact lies in creating inclusive solutions that scale responsibly and address real economic needs.”
And looking back:
“IENYC played an important role in shaping not only my professional trajectory but also my values as a founder.”
The IENYC Hustle: Learning in the greatest classroom on Earth with Sali Alkaabi
The IENYC Hustle: Living fast and learning deep with Giovanni Coeli
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