FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is a student-led nonprofit FIRST Robotics Competition team at Montgomery High School in Skillman, NJ. Founded in 2004, the team designs competition robots annually and runs STEM outreach including SOAR Camp and FLL mentoring.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersSkillman, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics does
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is a student-led, nonprofit FIRST Robotics Competition team based at Montgomery High School in Skillman, New Jersey. Founded in 2004, the organization fields 74 student members across 14 functional sub-teams (mechanical, electrical, programming, CAD, business, strategy, awards, and outreach) supported by 11 adult mentors. Its core deliverable is a competition robot designed, manufactured, and programmed from scratch within FIRST's annual six-week build season, equipped with subsystems such as swerve drivetrains, Limelight 3 vision cameras, AprilTag-based localization, and custom intake/shooter mechanisms that change each year with the game release.
Beyond the competition deliverable, the team operates a multi-tier STEM outreach portfolio. It runs SOAR Camp (a free robotics day-camp for middle-school students), mentors eight FIRST LEGO League teams generating 300+ community service hours over eight years, and delivers in-school engineering classes for grades 8-10. The team co-founded and continues to lead The Compass Alliance, a multi-FRC-team governance network that has produced 18 published worksheets for the FIRST website. In 2025 the team added the Theraprints initiative, delivering student-built therapeutic devices to senior-community beneficiaries.
The organization operates on a sponsorship-and-grant funding model with no commercial revenue. Corporate sponsors include Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boeing, Bosch Rexroth, Comcast, Airbus, the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, Picatinny Arsenal, Haas CNC, NAVAIR, and Precision Tech. Additional funding comes from individual donations, foundation grants, and the annual Cougar Classic Golf Outing. There is no subscription, product, or service revenue stream; the team is a 501(c)(3)-style educational nonprofit with a fiscal-year cadence aligned to the FIRST competition calendar.
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics
- Legal name
- FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics
- Website
- https://cougarrobotics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is a student-led nonprofit FIRST Robotics Competition team at Montgomery High School in Skillman, NJ. Founded in 2004, the team designs competition robots annually and runs STEM outreach including SOAR Camp and FLL mentoring.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- STEM Education and Robotics Programs
- akta.pro primary industry
- Competition Robotics Teams & Coaching (FLL/FTC/FRC, VEX) (EDAMADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Robotics After-School & Enrichment Clubs (EDAMADAA), Robotics & Engineering Summer Camps / Bootcamps (EDAMADAF), LEGO / Block-Based Robotics Programs (EDAMADAD), Competitive Activities (Debate, Mock Trial, Academic Team, Robotics) (EDAJAJAD)
Keywords
Where FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Skillman
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Sponsorship and Donations: Team operates as a nonprofit educational organization funded by corporate sponsors, educational institutions, and community donations. Major sponsors include Montgomery Board of Education, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Picatinny Arsenal, Bosch Rexroth, Comcast, Haas CNC, Airbus, J&J Foundation, and Precision Tech Corp.
- Leicht Scholarship: Scholarship created in honor of mentor retirement, given to students who display team core values - Family, Dedication, Quality, and Impact
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is a student-led FIRST Robotics Competition team based at Montgomery High School in Skillman, New Jersey, that designs, fabricates, and programs competition robots. The team delivers year-round STEM education and outreach programs to K-12 students, including summer camps, FLL mentoring, kickoff events, and workshops in CAD, engineering, and related technical disciplines.
Product overview
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team based in Skillman, NJ, operating since 2004. The team operates as a student-led organization that designs, fabricates, wires, and programs competition-ready robots within a six-week build season. Beyond robot development, the team provides STEM outreach programs including the SOAR (Student Opportunities for Academics and Recreation) summer camp, FIRST Lego League (FLL) mentoring, Bridgewater Temple robotics classes, library workshops, and Women in STEM presentations. The team also hosts annual Kickoff events and workshops for other FRC teams. As a nonprofit educational team rather than a commercial product company, FRC Team 1403 does not offer commercial products or services; its activities center on competition robotics and community STEM education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Compass Alliance (TCA): An international coalition co-founded by Team 1403 aimed at making FIRST resources more accessible to all teams, including worksheets, reels, and best practices.
- SOAR
- Astrobraries
- Cougar Classes
Products and services
- SOAR Summer Programs
- FLL Mentoring Program
- Kickoff Event
- Cougar Workshops (CAD and Engineering Workshops)
- Women in STEM Presentations
- Bridgewater Temple Classes
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% graduation rate with 90% of graduates pursuing STEM degrees
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Montgomery Township School DistrictcorePrimary institutional partner hosting Team 1403 at Montgomery High School. Team annually presents achievements to the Board of Education and provides STEM education programs to district students.
- Picatinny ArsenalmajorU.S. Army installation engaged with team through Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day; 14 girls from team met women engineers at the event.
- Haas CNCmajorCNC equipment manufacturer providing manufacturing capabilities for robot fabrication.
- The Compass Alliance (TCA)coreInternational coalition co-founded by Team 1403 aimed at making FIRST resources more accessible. Team 1403 is a Core Team that helped create 18 TCA Worksheets officially published by FIRST.
- Sri Venkateswara Temple (Balaji Mandir)minorHost venue for robotics classes reaching 60+ kids grades 2-8 from 10 school districts with 12 hours of LEGO instruction.
- Trenton Area Soup KitchenminorCommunity partner; team donates 150 items annually through toiletry drive.
- Monty PantryminorLocal food pantry receiving donations from team outreach initiatives.
- Ronald McDonald House CharitiesminorTeam donated over 10,000 can tabs to support charity operations.
- Laurel Circle Retirement HomeminorSenior living facility receiving 3D-printed cane and wheelchair grips through Theraprints initiative.
- Shrimad Rajchandra Education Center (India)minorSchool in India receiving educational presentations on sensors from team to teach students grades 7-9.
- FLL Teams 26361 and 26362coreMentored for 8 years; both reached States with one winning 2nd place Innovation Award. 300 hours of mentoring accumulated across all FLL teams.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- VEX Robotics: VEX Robotics is the primary competing K-12 competition robotics platform, with comparable team structures, build seasons, and competition formats. Teams in VEX pursue similar STEM and competition outcomes to FRC teams like Team 1403.
Others
- Iridescent: Iridescent is a STEM education nonprofit serving underrepresented youth through family engagement and engineering programs. It is thematically adjacent to Team 1403's outreach mission but does not run a competition robotics program.
- iRobot Education: iRobot Education offers K-12 STEM learning programs leveraging consumer robotics platforms. It targets a similar student demographic with educational content but does not run a competition robotics league.
Emerging players
- MATE Inspiration for Innovation (MATE II / MATE Center): MATE II operates the MATE ROV Competition, a K-12 and college-level underwater robotics competition. It shares the team-based competition robotics format and STEM-education mission with FRC, but focuses on marine technology applications.
- Botball: Botball is an autonomous robotics competition for middle and high school students run by KISS Institute for Practical Robotics. It overlaps with FRC in target demographic and competition-driven STEM education but focuses on autonomous rather than teleoperated robots.
Broad incumbents
- FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): FIRST is the parent organization that creates and operates the FIRST Robotics Competition framework in which Team 1403 competes. It defines competition rules, distributes resources, and accredits teams globally, making it the umbrella incumbent in this space.
- Code.org: Code.org is a large K-12 STEM and computer science education nonprofit serving similar student populations through curriculum, teacher training, and outreach. It competes for the same sponsor mindshare and education-policy attention that supports programs like Team 1403.
- REC Foundation (Robotics Education & Competition Foundation): The REC Foundation operates the VEX Robotics Competition, the most direct alternative K-12 competition robotics platform to FRC. It serves a similar student and sponsor audience with a parallel competition and team ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics social profiles
Digital presenceFRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics
What does FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics do?
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is a student-led FIRST Robotics Competition team based at Montgomery High School in Skillman, New Jersey, that designs, fabricates, and programs competition robots. The team delivers year-round STEM education and outreach programs to K-12 students, including summer camps, FLL mentoring, kickoff events, and workshops in CAD, engineering, and related technical disciplines.
Is FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics a public or private company?
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics founded?
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics based?
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics is headquartered in Skillman, United States, in the North America region.
How does FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Sponsorship and Donations are the primary driver. The others are leicht Scholarship.
Who are FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics's main competitors?
VEX Robotics is listed as a direct peer. Others are Iridescent and iRobot Education. Emerging players are MATE Inspiration for Innovation (MATE II / MATE Center) and Botball. Broad incumbents are FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), Code.org and REC Foundation (Robotics Education & Competition Foundation).
Does FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics have an API?
No public API is recorded for FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics.
What industry is FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics in?
FRC Team 1403 Cougar Robotics's product category is STEM Education and Robotics Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMADAE, Competition Robotics Teams & Coaching (FLL/FTC/FRC, VEX), with a secondary code of EDAMADAA, Robotics After-School & Enrichment Clubs.