Fondazione Leonardo

What Fondazione Leonardo does

Fondazione Leonardo is an Italian non-profit foundation (Ente del Terzo Settore, or ETS) established under D.lgs. n. 117/2017, legally named Fondazione Leonardo ETS and headquartered in Rome. Founded in 2018 with 44 employees, it operates as a cultural and educational organization whose mission is to promote public understanding of science, technology, and industry in Italy. Its founding member (Socio Fondatore) is Leonardo S.p.A., Italy's major aerospace and defense conglomerate, which provides institutional funding and strategic direction; the foundation operates under Leonardo's Code of Ethics, Anti-Corruption Code, and Whistleblowing platform. The foundation generates no commercial revenue and offers all content free to the public.

The foundation's core product is a digital content platform (fondazioneleonardo.com) serving as a hub for articles, videos, podcasts, and educational resources. Its branded sub-products include Cybertalk (cybersecurity video interviews), A scuola di STEM (free STEM educational content for schools), Dual Tech (podcast on dual-use technology), the Leonardo Innovation Archives or LIA (digital archive of over 1,200 historical Italian industrial documents, developed with Fondazione Ansaldo), Civiltà dei Dati (quarterly digital magazine covering data civilization topics), and Fondazione Leonardo at School (in-person outreach deploying Leonardo Labs researchers into Italian schools). Distribution extends across YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and a WhatsApp channel, with direct school and event engagement.

The business model is institutional grant funding rather than commercial revenue. As an ETS, the foundation is barred from profit distribution and pursues civic, solidarity, and social utility objectives. The primary customer segments are the Italian general public, students and educators, and industry professionals; the primary economic counterparty is its founding sponsor Leonardo S.p.A. The foundation has adopted the Model 231 governance structure (approved by the Board of Directors on 10 December 2020) and Whistleblowing Guidelines compliant with D.Lgs. n. 24/2023, embedding corporate-grade compliance into a small non-profit entity.

Name

Fondazione Leonardo

Legal name

Fondazione Leonardo ETS

Website

https://fondazioneleonardo.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondazione Leonardo is an Italian non-profit foundation, founded in 2018 by Leonardo S.p.A., that produces free multimedia content on science, technology, and industry for the Italian public, students, and educators through a multi-channel digital platform, podcasts, and school outreach programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural & Educational Content Publishing

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Educational Entertainment (Edutainment) (EDAGALAK)

Keywords

• Science communication
• STEM education content
• Digital publishing platform
• Industrial heritage archives
• Technology awareness media

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding and Grants: As an ETS (Ente del Terzo Settore) non-profit organization under Italian law D.lgs. n. 117/2017, Fondazione Leonardo pursues civic, solidarity, and social utility objectives without profit purpose. The foundation operates primarily through institutional support from its founding member Leonardo S.p.A.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Fondazione Leonardo is a non-profit foundation (ETS) that produces and distributes free multimedia educational content on science, technology, industry, cybersecurity, space, sustainability, and STEM topics. Its offerings span articles, video series (Cybertalk, A scuola di STEM, Fondazione Leonardo at School), podcasts (Dual Tech), the quarterly Civiltà dei Dati magazine, and the LIA digital archive of Italian industrial heritage, all delivered through its website, social media, podcast platforms, and direct school outreach.

Product overview

Fondazione Leonardo operates as an educational foundation focused on science, innovation, industry, and technology, offering a unified digital platform that serves as its primary product. The portfolio consists of the main website content hub supplemented by branded content series: Cybertalk (cybersecurity video interviews), A scuola di STEM (educational school content), Dual Tech podcast (technology dual-use exploration), LIA digital archive (industrial heritage preservation), Civiltà dei Dati magazine (quarterly publication), and Fondazione Leonardo at School (educational outreach). The core offering centers on aggregating and presenting scientific, technological, and industrial content through multiple multimedia formats including stories, videos, podcasts, and publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LIA - Leonardo Innovation Archives A digital archive platform developed with Fondazione Ansaldo that preserves and shares more than 1,200 historical documents chronicling a century of Italian industrial progress, freely accessible to the general public, researchers, and industry professionals interested in Italian industrial heritage.
• Cybertalk
• A scuola di STEM
• Dual Tech Podcast
• Civiltà dei Dati Magazine
• Fondazione Leonardo at School

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Leonardo S.p.A.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeonardo S.p.A. is the founding member (Socio Fondatore) of Fondazione Leonardo. The foundation operates under Leonardo's corporate governance framework, adopting the Leonardo Code of Ethics, Anti-Corruption Code, and Whistleblowing platform. Leonardo provides institutional support and strategic direction to the foundation's activities in science, technology, and industry communication.
• Fondazione AnsaldoflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFondazione Ansaldo collaborates with Fondazione Leonardo on the Leonardo Innovation Archives (LIA) project, a digital platform preserving over 1200 historical documents chronicling a century of Italian industrial progress. The partnership bridges historical heritage with modern technology communication.
• Leonardo LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers from Leonardo Labs participate in the 'Fondazione Leonardo at School' program, engaging with students across Italian cities to discuss deepfakes, digital risks, and technological awareness.
• Telespazio (Leonardo/Thales joint venture)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales Alenia Space (33%), collaborates on space-related content for the Space Panorama series and satellite debris management topics, leveraging their expertise in satellite operations and Earth observation.
• e-GEOS (Telespazio/ASI joint venture)majorStrategic or Co-development Partnere-GEOS contributes to space content creation including the Space Panorama series, providing satellite-based maritime monitoring and Earth observation expertise.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fondazione Mondo Digitale: Italian non-profit foundation focused on digital education, innovation, and inclusion for young people and schools. Highly comparable as a domestic Italian non-profit operating in the education and digital literacy space with school outreach programs.
• Fondazione Cotec: Italian foundation for technological innovation promoting research, awareness, and education on innovation in Italy. Directly comparable as a domestic non-profit advancing public understanding of technology and innovation with corporate backing.
• TED (TED Foundation): Non-profit media foundation producing TED Talks, podcasts, and educational content on science, technology, and ideas globally. Comparable as a foundation delivering free, expert-driven multimedia content for public education and thought leadership.
• Khan Academy: Non-profit educational organization providing free, high-quality online learning content across STEM subjects with strong school and educator programs. Comparable as a free, mission-driven educational content platform reaching students and self-learners.
• Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci: Italy's principal science and technology museum in Milan, offering educational programs, exhibitions, and digital content on industrial heritage and innovation. Comparable in mission of public-facing science communication and Italian STEM education, though delivered through physical exhibits.

Broad incumbents

• European Space Agency (ESA): European intergovernmental space agency producing public education content, videos, and school programs on space exploration and technology. Comparable as a publicly funded science communication entity with school outreach, including space content (also a partner-adjacent topic area for Fondazione Leonardo).
• Smithsonian Institution: Major US research and educational complex operating museums, research centers, and digital media programs in science, technology, and history. Comparable in producing authoritative content on industrial heritage, science, and technology for public education.
• Royal Institution: Long-established UK charitable foundation dedicated to science education and public engagement, including lectures, videos, and school programs. Comparable as a heritage science communication institution with multimedia programming and youth outreach.

Regional players

• Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR): Italy's national research council conducting scientific research across disciplines with public communication and education programs. Comparable as a domestic Italian institution advancing public understanding of science, though as a government research body rather than a private foundation.

Others

• CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research): European intergovernmental research organization with extensive public engagement, education, and multimedia content programs on physics and technology. Comparable as a science institution producing authoritative public-facing content and educational outreach at scale.

Market position

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LDO_Fondazione
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fondazioneleonardociviltad1608
• Facebookfacebook.com/FondazioneLeonardoLearningTheFuture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondazioneleonardo
• Instagraminstagram.com/fondazioneleonardo?igsh=YnI1bmtubmxqcWds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Fondazione Leonardo