Nautilus Academy

What Nautilus Academy does

Nautilus Academy srls is a privately held Italian vocational training academy founded in 2017 by Ambra Cucinotta and Filippo Silvestro in Catania, Sicily. The company operates as the first academy in Southern Italy dedicated to video game development and digital art, delivering in-person instruction across seven distinct course tracks: Digital Art, FilmMaking, 3D Generalist, Game Development, Character Animation, Character Sculpting, and Web Design. Course delivery relies on industry-standard creative software (Autodesk Maya, ZBrush, Adobe Creative Suite, Unity, Unreal Engine, Toon Boom, Figma) and physical infrastructure including Wacom tablets, 3D printers, and VR headsets, housed in a 400-square-meter facility inside the historic Palazzo Franceschino at Via Monserrato 110, Catania.

The academy's instructional model limits class sizes to a maximum of nine students per cohort and emphasizes hands-on practice over theory, with 180 hours of applied study in the first year and a second-year refinement phase. Instructors are active or former industry professionals with verifiable credentials at studios including Disney, Adult Swim, Industrial Light & Magic, Riot, Epic Games, and Moon Studios, and the academy holds official partnerships with Wacom (2016), Autodesk (2019), and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (2021). Filippo Silvestro holds Autodesk Maya certification authority.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual tuition of €2,800 per student (€2,600 with early single-payment discount), payable upfront or in monthly installments of €216 via SplittlyPay 0%-interest financing. Enrollment grew from approximately 12 students in 2017 to over 180 by 2024. The academy also delivers PCTO-PNRR school-to-work programs to Italian high school students, providing a separate government-funded revenue channel. Nautilus Academy is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no disclosed external investor or parent company, and serves a consumer market in Southern Italy through direct-to-consumer enrollment processes and a community-led GTM motion anchored by alumni placement success stories.

Name

Nautilus Academy

Legal name

Nautilus Academy srls

Website

https://nautilus.academy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nautilus Academy is a Catania, Italy-based vocational academy founded in 2017, offering in-person training across seven courses in video game development, digital art, filmmaking, and 3D/animation to aspiring creative professionals in Southern Italy, serving 180+ students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Catania

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Tuition: Primary revenue stream from course fees. Annual tuition of €2800 covers all taxes, equipment access, services, and exclusive student events. Single upfront payment option with €200 discount.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nautilus Academy is a vocational training academy based in Catania, Italy, that delivers in-person, hands-on courses in digital arts, 3D modeling, game development, character animation and sculpting, filmmaking, and web design. Courses are taught by active industry professionals in small classes (max 9 students) using industry-standard software and equipment, with annual tuition covering all taxes, equipment access, services, and exclusive student events.

Product overview

Nautilus Academy is a vocational academy in Catania, Italy, offering a portfolio of seven in-person courses in digital arts, game development, and filmmaking. The offering operates as a multi-course academy model — each course (Digital Art, FilmMaking, 3D Generalist, Game Development, Character Animation, Character Sculpting, and Web Design) is a distinct branded program with its own curriculum, software stack, and career pathway. Additionally, the academy provides PCTO-PNRR school programs for secondary school students and a student portal for enrolled learners. The academy does not offer a software-as-a-service product but rather in-person vocational training with individual classroom equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Art Course Foundational course covering digital drawing, illustration and coloring, combining theory and practice to guide students through personal artistic growth in digital art. Targeted at aspiring digital artists.
• FilmMaking Course Course covering cinematography, film language rules, editing, directing, organizing, and storytelling for emotional audience impact. Targeted at aspiring filmmakers.
• 3D Generalist Course Comprehensive course teaching UV, texturing, modeling, and rigging skills, enabling students to create photorealistic 3D creatures and assets for games, film, and visualization. Targeted at aspiring 3D artists.
• Game Development Course Hands-on course for becoming a Game Developer, covering game design, C++ and C# programming, and development using Unity and Unreal Engine, from concept to playable demo. Targeted at aspiring game developers.
• Character Animation Course Course teaching character design, expression, and the twelve principles of animation, using Adobe Animate, Toon Boom, Photoshop, After Effects, and Maya to bring characters to life. Targeted at aspiring character animators.
• Character Sculpting Course Course on reproducing character designs, anatomy, and industrial and cinematic sculpting techniques using ZBrush and traditional materials, covering both 3D digital and physical modeling. Targeted at aspiring character sculptors.
• Web Design Course Course focused on UX/UI design, visual design, interface creation, and web publishing using Figma, WordPress, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Canva. Targeted at aspiring web designers.
• PCTO-PNRR School Programs School-to-work alternating training programs funded by Italy's PNRR, offering workshops in 3D modeling (ZBrush), cinematic animation, concept art, digital painting, children's book illustration, traditional miniatures sculpture, Unity game development, and After Effects animation. Targeted at Italian high school students (4th and 5th year) fulfilling mandatory PCTO requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• From ~12 students in 2017 to over 180 students currently
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Annecy International Animation Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Official partner of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, one of the world's most prestigious animation festivals.
• Autodesk Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Official partnership with Autodesk Inc. for certification in Autodesk Maya for computer graphics production. Filippo Silvestro is certified to teach Maya courses.
• WacomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Official partnership with Wacom. Students use Wacom tablets for digital art courses. Wacom provides hardware for student use and educational support.
• TeamUp StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Francesca Lo Curzio and Camillo Moncada of TeamUp Studios for film production workshops and PCTO projects.
• FoundMiniatures (Daniele Trovato)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational sculptor Daniele Trovato (FoundMiniatures) collaborates with Nautilus Academy for traditional sculpting workshops using polymer clay techniques.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• CGMA (Computer Graphics Master Academy): Online-only art and animation education platform offering courses in concept art, 3D, and game development — directly comparable to Nautilus's curriculum but operating virtually without geographic constraints.
• iAnimate: Online animation school focused exclusively on character animation taught by working animators at major studios — directly overlaps with Nautilus's Character Animation course, particularly relevant given alumni placements at Adult Swim and Disney.
• CG Spectrum: Online animation, VFX, and game development school with mentorship from industry professionals — closely comparable to Nautilus's instructor-led model and studio placement outcomes, but delivered globally online.

Regional players

• Domus Academy: Milan-based postgraduate design and fashion school with programs in product design, interaction design, and visual brand design — adjacent to Nautilus's web design and digital art offerings, operating in the same Italian market but at a different price point and tier.

Direct peers

• Gnomon School of Visual Effects: Los Angeles-based school specializing in entertainment industry VFX, games, and animation training — directly comparable to Nautilus in industry-focused digital arts education, with similar instructor-from-industry model and alumni placements at major studios.
• Think Tank Training Centre: Canadian specialized VFX/animation/game art school with industry-professional instructors — directly comparable to Nautilus's instructor model and studio-placement focus, though operating at larger scale.
• Escape Studios: UK-based creative education provider (part of Pearson) focused on animation, VFX, and game development — closely comparable to Nautilus in scope, target audience, and industry placement outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• SAE Institute: Global provider of creative media education with Italian campuses covering animation, game development, and filmmaking — directly comparable to Nautilus in curriculum but with international brand and employer recognition.
• IED (Istituto Europeo di Design): Italian design and visual communication school with multiple campuses offering courses in animation, 3D, game design, and filmmaking — overlaps with Nautilus's course portfolio but operates at greater scale and geographic reach across Italy.
• NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti): Milan-based private art and design academy offering undergraduate and graduate programs in design, fashion, visual arts, and media — directly overlapping Nautilus's digital art, filmmaking, and web design courses, but at a much larger scale and with broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NautilusAcademyPage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nautilus-academy-in
• Instagraminstagram.com/nautilusacademy
• TikToktiktok.com/@nautilusacademy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Nautilus Academy