European City University

What European City University does

European City University (ECU) is a private higher education institution founded in 2024 that operates across two primary locations — a Paris, France administrative address (76-78 Rue Saint Lazare, 75009) and a Seattle, Washington mailing address (4730 University Way NE Suite 104, #2866). The institution was originally incorporated as Intelligest, then renamed City University of Paris, and finally rebranded to European City University following a naming dispute with Université Paris Cité, which publicly clarified it has no affiliation with ECU. ECU explicitly positions itself outside the French national education system and is not linked to any French public university. The institution serves working professionals, mid-career executives, and individuals seeking advanced qualifications, with three core program tracks: Doctoral Studies, Master Studies (including an ACQUIN-accredited MBA), and Professional Training courses.\n\nThe underlying technology stack comprises a Moodle-based learning management system (moodle.cityu.edu.eu) for online course delivery, two web application portals (apply.cityu.edu.eu, apply.cityuparis.fr) for direct enrollment, a dedicated training portal (training.cityu.edu.eu), and a blockchain-based credential verification system for issuing and validating academic credentials. ECU's regulatory and credentialing stack is unusually dense for its age: ACQUIN accreditation (Germany, EQAR-listed) for the MBA program, Qualiopi certification regulated by the French State and COFRAC, authorization by the Académie de Paris under the French Ministry of National Education, and membership in professional bodies including AACSB, CMI, ACBSP, EURASHE, ICDE, APM, and SVEB/FSEA. A strategic partnership with Homerton College, University of Cambridge was announced in April 2025 for a Post Doctoral Program.\n\nECU's revenue model is tuition-driven across its degree programs on a recurring per-program basis, complemented by professional services revenue from continuing education. Specific tuition and fee schedules are not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, relying on the institutional website, social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube), email enquiries, and WhatsApp. Disclosed customer logos are limited to two Thai insurers (Southeast Life Insurance Public Company Limited and FWD Life Insurance Public Company Limited), suggesting Southeast Asia as an early traction market. Ownership is private and founder-controlled, with no disclosed venture or private equity funding, a single named leader (Agnes Horry as President), and a headcount band of 1-10 employees as of latest reporting.

Name

European City University

Legal name

European City University

Website

https://europeancityu.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

European City University is a Paris-based private higher education institution offering doctoral, master's (including an ACQUIN-accredited MBA), and professional training programs to working professionals globally. Programs are delivered online via Moodle with blockchain-verified credentials and Qualiopi/ACQUIN accreditations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHALAJ

Online For-Profit Career Universities

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Distance & Online Universities

SECONDARYEDAHALAL

Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Distance & Online Universities

Keywords

• Higher education programs
• Professional training courses
• Doctoral degree programs
• Master degree programs
• Continuing education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Doctoral Studies Programs: Tuition and fees for doctoral degree programs targeting advanced academic and research professionals
2. Master Studies Programs: Tuition and fees for master-level degree programs including ACQUIN-accredited MBA
3. Professional Training: Continuing education and professional development courses under Qualiopi certification

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

European City University is a private higher education institution that delivers Doctoral Studies, Master Studies (including an ACQUIN-accredited MBA), and Qualiopi-certified Professional Training programs to working professionals and individuals globally. Courses are delivered through a Moodle-based online learning platform with hybrid components, and academic credentials are issued and verified through a blockchain-based credential verification system. The institution also operates dedicated online application and professional training portals for enrollment and continuing education.

Product overview

European City University is a private higher education institution offering a portfolio of academic programs including Doctoral Studies, Master Studies (including MBA), and Professional Training. The institution also provides a blockchain-based credential verification service and an online learning portal built on Moodle. These offerings are designed to support students seeking advanced degrees and professional development with both online and in-person components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Doctoral Studies Doctoral degree programs offering advanced academic research and scholarly work at the doctorate level, including post-doctoral research opportunities in collaboration with affiliated institutions such as Homerton College, University of Cambridge.
• Master Studies
• ECU MBA Program
• Professional Training
• Credentials on Blockchain
• Online Learning Portal

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Homerton College, University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2025European City University announced a collaboration with Homerton College, University of Cambridge, for a Post Doctoral Program. This partnership provides advanced research opportunities and enhances the university's academic credentials through association with one of Cambridge's constituent colleges.
• AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business)minorOthersECU is listed as an AACSB Business Education Alliance member, indicating affiliation with this global business education network
• CMI (Chartered Management Institute)minorOthersECU is affiliated with CMI, providing students access to professional management qualifications and credentials
• Southern Cross University (SCU) / SVEC PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECU has an affiliation with Southern Cross University's global executive education network (SVEC) for professional development programs
• EURASHE (European Association of Institutions in Higher Education)minorOthersECU holds membership in EURASHE, the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education focusing on professional and applied sciences
• ACBSP (Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs)minorOthersECU is a member of ACBSP, demonstrating commitment to quality assurance in business education
• ICDE (International Council for Open and Distance Education)minorOthersECU is a member of ICDE, the global organization promoting open and distance education
• APM (Association for Project Management)minorOthersECU holds membership in APM for project management professional development offerings
• SVEB/FSEA (Swiss Federation for Adult Learning)minorOthersECU is affiliated with SVEB/FSEA for adult learning and continuing education programs

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Paris School of Business: Private French business school offering undergraduate, graduate, MBA, and DBA programs with strong international student intake and English-language delivery — the closest French-private analog to ECU.
• Schiller International University: Private international university founded in the U.S. with multi-country campuses and a heavy online/distance-learning focus, offering degree programs aimed at globally mobile students — closely parallel to ECU's online, cross-border, private model.
• Geneva Business School: Private Swiss business school offering bachelor's, master's, MBA, and doctoral programs with campuses in Geneva, Barcelona, and Madrid — comparable for-profit private, multi-jurisdiction model targeting international students.
• Hult International Business School: Private, for-profit international business school operating across the U.S., U.K., UAE, and China, with online and hybrid MBAs aimed at working professionals — a near-direct analogue to ECU's target customer and program mix.
• EU Business School: Private for-profit business school with campuses across Barcelona, Geneva, Munich, and Montreux, plus online MBA and bachelor's programs — highly comparable to ECU's MBA-led, European, for-profit model.
• GBSB Global Business School: Private business school in Barcelona with online MBA and master's programs marketed to working professionals internationally — comparable niche, for-profit private, online delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Laureate International Universities: Global network of for-profit universities across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, operating both online and campus-based degree programs — the largest-scale analogue of ECU's international for-profit online model.
• University of Phoenix (Apollo Education Group): Large-scale, for-profit, online U.S. university offering degrees from associate to doctoral for working adults — sets the benchmark scale for the online for-profit university category ECU operates in.
• INSEEC Group: Large French private higher-education group operating multiple schools (BBA INSEEC, ESCE, Sup de V) across France and internationally — a more established, broader private French higher-ed player that competes with ECU in the same Parisian professional-education pool.

Others

• Southern Cross University (SCU) / SVEC: Australian public university whose SVEC global executive-education network is an ECU affiliate — relevant as a partnership-side peer and as a comparator for online executive programs targeting international professionals.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cityu.edu.eu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecufrance

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European City University