IT Step Academy

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.

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

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 industry

PRIMARYEDAAAPAB

Information Technology & Software

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Industry-Specific Training (Healthcare, Tech, etc.)

SECONDARYBPAEANAA

Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.)

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/IT Training & Technical Enablement Services

SECONDARYBPAEANAI

Software Engineering & Application Development Training (Languages, Frameworks, Testing)

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/IT Training & Technical Enablement Services

SECONDARYBPAEANAB

Custom Corporate IT Training & Upskilling Programs

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/IT Training & Technical Enablement Services

Keywords

• IT education services
• Professional programming courses
• Computer graphics training
• Network cybersecurity courses
• Vocational IT training

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices83 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers21 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationBranches 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.
• CiscocoreTechnology or IntegrationBranches 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.
• AutodeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationBranches 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 SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarting 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.
• SoftServecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarting 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.
• ElekscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarting 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 SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarting 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.
• SigmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarting 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

Broad 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/dgorod

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

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 IT Step Academy