First quarter 2026 results:AI speeds up growth and boosts the order of the Aton Group by 55%
29/05/2026
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In an economic landscape where technological innovation is constantly reshaping markets, the ability to anticipate trends is not merely a competitive advantage: it is the engine of growth.
In the first quarter of 2026, at Group level, we achieved an order intake of €6.6 million, marking a 55% increase compared with the same period in 2025 and placing us above the forecast budget.
This result confirms the strength of our business model in a quarter of the year that is traditionally less dynamic, driven in particular by orders in the food and retail sectors.
Alongside the growth in order intake, Group revenue reached €5.92 million, up 10% year-on-year. Within this overall picture, the “.one” solutions division stood out, recording significant growth and reaching €440,000 (+17%).
The most meaningful indicator of the quarter’s financial health, however, was EBITDA, which stood at €598,000, an increase of 65%.
This trend reflects the strong efficiency of our operational processes and validates the strategic choices made in 2025, introduced in response to a decline in EBITDA (-11%, to €3.2 million), while accelerating investments in research and development and bringing in digital and AI specialists.
Today’s figures show that we were building tomorrow’s value.
For the current three-year period, the strategic direction is clear: we have allocated 7% of revenue – around €1.8 million -exclusively to R&D, with a focus on artificial intelligence.
At the heart of this financial commitment lies the evolution of our proprietary .one platform. Today, the development of our technology roadmap is entrusted to a synergistic organisational model: a team made up of 40 software engineers and an unlimited number of artificial intelligence agents.
The aim is to enable a proactive transformation in which AI does not replace people, but enhances their capabilities, freeing them from repetitive tasks and enabling them to move towards higher-value roles. Through the “I AM AI” principle, we intend to lead this change by offering customers speed and reliability that exceed market standards.
“Flesh-and-blood people and AI agents to accelerate digital transformation and increase the profitability and competitiveness of our customers.”
– Giorgio De Nardi, CEO and Founder of Aton
The momentum recorded in the quarter came largely from the consumer goods market and from major orders with international customers in the fashion sector. While international expansion confirms the global competitiveness of our offering, our goal for the coming months is also to accelerate growth in the domestic market.
In this respect, Italian companies have access to a decisive tax lever: hyper-depreciation. This is a strategic opportunity that enables investment in digitalisation and artificial intelligence, almost halving ROI times and reducing the actual cash outlay, turning incentives into structural growth assets.
This strong technological acceleration has not changed our commitment to putting people at the centre and generating a positive impact on the local area. Despite the widespread adoption of AI solutions over the past year, the Group’s employment balance increased by +4.8%, bringing the team to 284 professionals.
As a B Corp and Benefit Companies, certified Great Place To Work®, Aton continues to demonstrate that Made in Italy technology can compete with global Big Tech companies. We do so by maintaining a clear balance between economic growth, digital innovation and ethical profit, within a vision that promotes a genuine neo-humanistic economic renaissance.
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