adesso italy s.r.l.

What adesso italy s.r.l. does

adesso italy s.r.l., operating under the Digital Brick brand, is an Italian digital skills training and certification provider headquartered in Milan. Founded in 2000 as a spin-off of Politecnico di Milano's EBLab, the company has managed the official ICDL certification exam platform in Italy since 2005 and operates an AICA-accredited Test Center, having administered over 13 million exams across Italy, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Vietnam, and South Korea.

The Digital Brick Platform delivers online courses, adaptive assessments, simulation tests, and certification exams organized into three training tracks: Digital Literacy (ICDL), Digital Innovation (AI, Big Data, IoT, Robotics, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing), and Digital Working (Microsoft 365, Copilot, change management, upskilling/reskilling). The technology stack combines an online learning management system with machine learning-driven adaptive assessments and personalized recommendation, blockchain-anchored Open Badge digital credentials conforming to the Mozilla standard, biometric identification for remote exam proctoring, and an AI-powered intelligent tutoring chatbot. The DigitalBrick4Innovation research project (PIA-funded by Regione Puglia, co-developed with Università del Salento and Vidyasoft) underpins these capabilities, with live experimentation in Puglia schools and enterprises since mid-2023.

Revenue is generated through a self-serve e-commerce model on learning.digitalbrick.it (individual course modules, bundled certification pathways, simulation tests, and remote or in-person exam fees), supplemented by bespoke corporate training programs delivered as multi-year contracts under the Digital Working track. Customers include Italian secondary schools, universities, enterprises, working professionals, and students, with indirect demand support from the Italian Ministry of Education recognizing ICDL Full Standard and DigComp 2.2 certifications for teacher and ATA staff recruitment competitions. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or parent entity.

Name

adesso italy s.r.l.

Legal name

ADESSO ITALY S.R.L.

Website

https://digitalbrick.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

adesso italy s.r.l. (Digital Brick) is an Italy-based digital skills training and ICDL certification platform serving schools, universities, enterprises, and professionals through online courses, adaptive assessments, and proctored exams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Learning and Digital Skills Certification

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Certification & Exam Prep Course Marketplaces (EDAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional Licensure & Certification Exam Prep (Bar/CPA/NCLEX/PMP, etc.) (EDAGADAD)

Keywords

• Digital skills training
• ICDL certification
• Online learning platform
• Corporate upskilling
• Adaptive assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Online Course Subscriptions and Training Paths: Digital Brick sells access to structured online course packages combining multimedia lessons, deep dives, infographics, and exercises. Customers can purchase full certification pathways (e.g., ICDL Full Standard) or individual course modules. Courses are delivered asynchronously via the learning platform and accessible across devices.
2. Online Examination and Certification Fees: Revenue is generated from proctored certification exams (ICDL and related), delivered both in-person at accredited test centers and remotely. Exams may be purchased individually or bundled with course and simulation packages.
3. Online Exam Simulation Tests: Standalone sale of online practice tests that simulate the official ICDL certification exam, providing multiple-choice questions and software simulations. Users purchase these to verify readiness before the final certification exam.
4. Professional Services – Corporate Training: Customized corporate training programs for enterprise clients covering adoption of new tools (Microsoft 365, Copilot), change management, and upskilling/reskilling initiatives. Delivered under the Digital Working area as bespoke programs for businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

adesso italy s.r.l., operating under the Digital Brick brand, sells access to an online learning and certification platform that delivers digital-skills training, adaptive assessments, exam simulations, and ICDL-accredited certification exams for individuals, schools, and enterprises. The company has managed the official ICDL exam platform in Italy since 2005 and has administered more than 13 million exams, while also offering bespoke corporate training programs for digital transformation and upskilling/reskilling.

Product overview

Digital Brick is a comprehensive digital skills training and certification ecosystem by adesso.it, offering a platform-plus-services architecture. The core Digital Brick Platform delivers online courses, adaptive assessments, simulation tests, and certification exams. The product portfolio includes ICDL certification tracks (ICDL Full Standard, IT Security, Artificial Intelligence modules), three training pathways (Digital Literacy, Digital Innovation, Digital Working), and specialized offerings like AI Discovery Lab. The research project DigitalBrick4Innovation adds AI-powered features including adaptive ML-based assessments, personalized course recommendations via recommendation engine, intelligent tutoring chatbot, blockchain-based Open Badge certifications, and biometric exam authentication. The company operates as an ICDL-accredited Test Center since 2017 and has managed the official ICDL exam platform since 2005 with over 13 million exams conducted.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Brick Platform A comprehensive digital skills training and certification platform providing online courses, adaptive assessments, simulation tests, and ICDL certification exams for individuals, schools, and enterprises.
• ICDL Full Standard International digital literacy certification comprising 7 modules (Computer Essentials, Online Essentials, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Presentation, Online Collaboration, IT Security) leading to internationally recognized certification recognized in Italy and abroad.
• Digital Literacy (ICDL) Training pathway covering ICDL certification modules for fundamental digital literacy skills including computer use, word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations, aimed at students, teachers, and professionals.
• Digital Innovation Training pathway covering emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Internet of Things, Robotics, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Industry 4.0 Smart Technologies.
• Digital Working Corporate training pathway covering adoption of new work tools (Microsoft 365, Copilot), change management, and upskilling/reskilling programs for digital transformation.
• AI Discovery Lab Course designed to guide educators in designing AI-assisted teaching pathways, covering AI fundamentals, machine learning, neural networks, generative models, ethical implications, prompt engineering, and including ICDL Artificial Intelligence certification preparation.
• Test di Conformità DigComp 2.2 Specialized conformity test for ICDL Full Standard holders to obtain international digital literacy certification conforming to European DigComp 2.2 framework, required for ATA competition access in Italian public schools.
• DigitalBrick4Innovation AI-powered training and certification platform developed as an industrial research project co-funded by Regione Puglia, featuring adaptive ML-based assessments, personalized course recommendations, intelligent AI tutoring, blockchain-anchored Open Badge certificates, and biometric exam authentication.
• Simulation Tests Online practice tests that simulate official ICDL certification exams with multiple-choice questions and software simulations, providing candidates a detailed report on incorrect answers and syllabus areas to review before attempting the official certification exam.
• Online Exam Proctoring Remote certification exam delivery service allowing candidates to take ICDL certification exams from home or school, with biometric verification and AI proctoring capabilities, also delivered in person at accredited test centers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 13 million ICDL exams administered across Italy and internationally since 2005.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability12 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ANT-X (Politecnico di Milano Spin-off)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2023ANT-X, a Politecnico di Milano spin-off specializing in multi-rotor drone platform design, prototyping, and testing, co-hosted the VoloXperience workshop with Digital Brick during Milano Digital Week 2023. The event introduced participants to drone technology and its applications.
• Università del SalentocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the DigitalBrick4Innovation project (PIA-funded by Regione Puglia). Università del Salento contributed research state-of-the-art analysis and conceptual design for the adaptive assessment and machine learning components of the platform. Vice-Director Luca Mainetti from the Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Innovazione participated in project webinars.
• VidyasoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner in the DigitalBrick4Innovation project. Vidyasoft (CEO Adriana Caione) contributed expertise in Open Badge and Blockchain technology for the certification system, and co-presented project results at webinars and the Didamatica 2022 conference.
• AICA (Associazione Italiana per l'Informatica e il Calcolo Automatico)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital Brick operates as an AICA-accredited Test Center for ICDL certifications and has managed the official ICDL exam platform in Italy since 2005. AICA is the national body granting ICDL accreditation, making this a foundational channel partnership for exam delivery.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• WeSchool: WeSchool is an Italian EdTech platform providing digital content, training and collaboration tools to schools and teachers. It competes with Digital Brick in the Italian K-12 digital skills and school content market, sharing the same geographic and institutional customer base.
• DataCamp: DataCamp specializes in data, AI and digital skills training for individuals and enterprises. It competes with Digital Brick's Big Data, AI and Industry 4.0 content modules in the same professional upskilling buyer segment, with a stronger niche focus on data and analytics.
• Codecademy: Codecademy provides interactive technology and digital skills training with career-oriented learning paths. It overlaps with Digital Brick's Digital Innovation content (programming, data, web) and represents a more interactive, learner-focused alternative in the same target market.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Coursera is a global MOOC and credentialing platform offering professional certificates, specializations and accredited degrees from universities and industry partners. It competes with Digital Brick across consumer and enterprise digital skills learning, though at much broader scale and with a different delivery model.
• Udemy: Udemy is a global course marketplace with extensive business, technology and productivity content aimed at individuals and enterprises (Udemy Business). It overlaps with Digital Brick's individual course catalog and corporate upskilling offering, though it does not deliver certified digital literacy exams.
• LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning offers a broad catalog of business, technology and creative courses integrated with the LinkedIn professional network. It overlaps with Digital Brick's professional development tracks and benefits from a distribution channel (LinkedIn profiles) that complements its own credentialing ambitions.

Direct peers

• Certiport (Pearson VUE): Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the principal global delivery partner for ICDL/IC3 digital literacy and productivity certifications and competes directly with Digital Brick in test-center-based certification delivery. Both organizations administer ICDL exams, sell certification prep content to schools and professionals, and rely on accreditation relationships with the ICDL Foundation.
• Skillsoft: Skillsoft provides enterprise digital learning, certification prep and corporate upskilling programs across technology, leadership and compliance. Its enterprise sales motion, multi-year contracts and certification-aligned content closely mirror Digital Brick's corporate Digital Working segment.
• Pluralsight: Pluralsight is a tech and digital skills training platform offering skill assessments, learning paths and certifications for IT and business professionals. It is comparable to Digital Brick's Digital Innovation and Digital Working tracks in target audience (working professionals, enterprise upskilling) and assessment-driven learning model.

Others

• ICDL Foundation: The ICDL Foundation is the global governing body that sets ICDL certification standards and accredits national operators (including Digital Brick via AICA). It is included as an ecosystem participant because it operates the umbrella program that defines the certification market in which Digital Brick competes and accredits other national operators that effectively peer-compete.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/digitalbrick.it
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adesso-it

Compliance2 records

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 adesso italy s.r.l.