IT Step Academy
IT Step Academy is the largest international IT education institution, operating 38 branches across 20+ countries with approximately 95,000 students enrolled in adult professional courses, licensed university degrees, and children's IT programs, supported by vendor certifications and employer dual-training partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersKyiv, Ukraine
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What IT Step Academy does
IT Step Academy is a privately held, for-profit international IT education institution headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine, founded in 1999. The company operates 38 physical training branches across more than 20 countries spanning Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), CIS (Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia), Eastern and Central Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria), the Middle East (UAE), Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia), and single-site presences in the USA, Brazil, and Mexico. Core products include adult professional courses in software development, computer graphics and design, and networks and cybersecurity, delivered through in-person classes plus online channels branded as Cloud East, Cloud West, and Online.
The curriculum is practice-led from day one and is delivered by certified instructors under authorized educational center agreements with Microsoft, Cisco, and Autodesk, enabling students to earn industry-recognized vendor certifications. A dual-training program partners with international IT employers including EPAM Systems, SoftServe, Eleks, Nix Solutions, and Sigma to embed internships and job placement into the curriculum. The company also operates IT STEP University, the first licensed higher IT degree program in Ukraine, Unicorn World Virtual School, a gamified online K-12 school, and Junior STEP Institute, a children's IT program recognized by UNESCO and ITU as a top 5 Human Development Project.
Revenue is generated primarily through tuition fees paid by individual students across adult, university, and children's programs, supplemented by career services delivered through STEP Institute Career Center. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the multi-language website and physical branch network, with a stated active enrollment of approximately 95,000 students and headcount of 1,001-5,000 employees. Ownership structure is not publicly disclosed; the company operates without identified parent, private equity, or venture capital backing in the source data.
IT Step Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IT Step Academy
- Legal name
- ITSTEP Academy
- Website
- https://itstep.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- IT Step Academy is the largest international IT education institution, operating 38 branches across 20+ countries with approximately 95,000 students enrolled in adult professional courses, licensed university degrees, and children's IT programs, supported by vendor certifications and employer dual-training partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IT Step Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vocational IT Education
- NAICS
- Computer Training (611420), Computer Training (61142), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Information Technology & Software (EDAAAPAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.) (BPAEANAA), Software Engineering & Application Development Training (Languages, Frameworks, Testing) (BPAEANAI), Custom Corporate IT Training & Upskilling Programs (BPAEANAB)
Keywords
Where IT Step Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kyiv
- HQ country
- Ukraine
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices83 records
Markets served
IT Step Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Educational Tuition: Tuition-based revenue from professional IT courses for adults and children, higher IT degree programs, and online/virtual school programs. Students pay for courses that prepare them for careers in programming, design, and system engineering.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
IT Step Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IT Step Academy is an international IT education institution that delivers tuition-based professional training courses in software development, computer graphics and design, and networks and cybersecurity to adults and children across more than 20 countries. It also operates an accredited higher IT degree program (IT STEP University), a children's program (Junior STEP Institute), and a virtual secondary school (Unicorn World Virtual School), all focused on practical, industry-aligned curricula with dual-training internships at major international IT companies.
Product overview
IT Step Academy operates as a multi-product educational institution offering comprehensive IT education across various age groups and specialization areas. The core offering is IT STEP Academy (professional IT education for adults), supplemented by IT STEP University (licensed higher education in Ukraine), Unicorn World Virtual School (gamified online secondary education for children), and Junior STEP Institute (children's program recognized by UNESCO/ITU). The institution provides specialized courses in Software Development, Computer Graphics and Design, and Networks and Cybersecurity, supported by a Career Center that assists with employment preparation. All programs focus on practical training aligned with current IT industry demands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- IT STEP Academy Professional IT Education International IT education institution providing professional courses for adults and children, preparing programmers, designers, and system engineers. Operates across 23+ countries with 38 branches offering practice-focused curricula aligned with current IT industry demands.
- IT STEP University First licensed higher IT degree in Ukraine, teaching programming, graphic design, network and security with focus on practical training and a dual training program that combines studies with internships at international IT companies.
- Unicorn World Virtual School Remote licensed secondary school using gamification and an innovative approach where lessons take the form of computer games with characters and engaging tasks for children.
- Junior STEP Institute IT education program for children that teaches introductory IT skills, programming basics, game development, and digital literacy in a gamified learning environment. Recognized by UNESCO and ITU as a top 5 Human Development Project.
- STEP Institute Career Center Career assistance service helping students with CV preparation, portfolio design, understanding of the labor market, internship and employment search, and job interview preparation.
- Software Development Course Professional programming course covering software development methodologies, programming languages, and practical project development, taught by certified tutors.
- Computer Graphics and Design Course Design education covering graphic editors, design theory, branding, advertising design, and prepress, with Autodesk-certified instruction.
- Networks and Cybersecurity Course Network administration and security training with Cisco certification preparation and practical infrastructure setup, taught by certified Cisco instructors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Winners of Microsoft Imagine Cup competing against 400,000 contestants from 106 countries
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use IT Step Academy
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
IT Step Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
IT Step Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MicrosoftcoreBranches of STEP IT Institute are authorized educational centres of Microsoft. Lessons are given by certified tutors and students may get Microsoft certificates during their studies.
- CiscocoreBranches of STEP IT Institute are authorized educational centres of Cisco. Students may get Cisco certificates during their studies. Alumni have used Cisco certifications for employment.
- AutodeskcoreBranches of STEP IT Institute are authorized educational centres of Autodesk. Lessons are given by certified tutors and students may get Autodesk certificates during their studies.
- EPAM SystemscoreStarting from second year, students can combine studies and internship in leading international IT companies including EPAM. The best students are offered jobs there through dual training program.
- SoftServecoreStarting from second year, students can combine studies and internship in leading international IT companies including SoftServe. The best students are offered jobs there through dual training program.
- ElekscoreStarting from second year, students can combine studies and internship in leading international IT companies including Eleks. The best students are offered jobs there through dual training program.
- Nix SolutionscoreStarting from second year, students can combine studies and internship in leading international IT companies including Nix Solutions. The best students are offered jobs there through dual training program.
- SigmacoreStarting from second year, students can combine studies and internship in leading international IT companies including Sigma. The best students are offered jobs there through dual training program.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
IT Step Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Coursera: Largest global online learning platform offering degrees, certificates and bootcamps from universities and companies. Comparable as a destination for IT upskilling, but Coursera is broader (not IT-specialized) and fully online, whereas IT STEP combines online with a 38-branch offline network.
- Udemy: Global marketplace for self-paced IT and professional courses. Competes for the same adult upskilling learner, but Udemy is content-only and instructor-led asynchronously, while IT STEP delivers structured, certified, offline programs with employer placement.
Direct peers
- Pluralsight: Subscription-based technology skills platform with strong focus on IT, cloud, cybersecurity and software development training. Comparable in subject-matter specialization and employer-customer overlap, though primarily a B2B SaaS platform versus IT STEP's consumer-tuition model.
- Ironhack: Global coding and design bootcamp operator with physical campuses across Europe, LATAM and the US offering full-time and part-time programs in web development, UX/UI and data. Closest in physical, multi-country bootcamp structure; smaller and younger than IT STEP but directly comparable in go-to-market.
- Le Wagon: International coding bootcamp with 40+ campuses worldwide teaching web development and data science. Comparable multi-country in-person bootcamp model targeting career switchers, though Le Wagon is shorter-format (9-24 weeks) and lacks IT STEP's licensed university and K-12 portfolio.
- BrainStation: Digital skills training provider offering bootcamps and short courses in web development, data, design and product across North America and select international markets. Comparable in adult professional IT training focus and employer-aligned curriculum.
- HackerU: Israeli-founded cybersecurity and IT training provider with operations across multiple geographies including Eastern Europe and CIS markets. Direct competitor in vendor-authorized IT certifications and enterprise cybersecurity reskilling programs.
- Beetroot Academy: Ukrainian-founded IT education provider offering programming and design bootcamps across Eastern Europe. Most direct local competitor in the Ukrainian market, with overlapping curriculum in front-end, back-end and design.
- General Assembly: Global pioneer in coding and data bootcamps, now part of Adecco, with physical campuses and corporate training programs. Comparable in immersive IT reskilling model and employer partnerships, though primarily US/EU-focused.
Others
- EPAM Systems: Largest IT outsourcing employer in the CIS and a dual-training partner of IT STEP Academy. Listed here because it is both a key buyer of graduates and a competitor via EPAM Lab internal training; strategically adjacent rather than directly competitive.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IT Step Academy social profiles
Digital presenceIT Step Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IT Step Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
IT Step Academy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
IT Step Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IT Step Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IT Step Academy
What does IT Step Academy do?
IT Step Academy is an international IT education institution that delivers tuition-based professional training courses in software development, computer graphics and design, and networks and cybersecurity to adults and children across more than 20 countries. It also operates an accredited higher IT degree program (IT STEP University), a children's program (Junior STEP Institute), and a virtual secondary school (Unicorn World Virtual School), all focused on practical, industry-aligned curricula with dual-training internships at major international IT companies.
Is IT Step Academy a public or private company?
IT Step Academy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was IT Step Academy founded?
IT Step Academy was founded in 1999. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is IT Step Academy based?
IT Step Academy is headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine, in the Europe region.
How does IT Step Academy make money?
One revenue line is on record: educational Tuition.
Who are IT Step Academy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Coursera and Udemy. Direct peers are Pluralsight, Ironhack, Le Wagon, BrainStation, HackerU, Beetroot Academy and General Assembly. EPAM Systems is listed as an others.
Does IT Step Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for IT Step Academy.
What industry is IT Step Academy in?
IT Step Academy's product category is Vocational IT Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAPAB, Information Technology & Software, with a secondary code of BPAEANAA, Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.). Its NAICS code is 611420 and its SIC code is 8200.