What Queen City Robotics Alliance does

Queen City Robotics Alliance (QCRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, that delivers K-12 STEM education through competitive robotics. Co-founded by four FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams — YETI (3506), BOW (4290), T-Rex (4935), and Royal Robotics (3701) — QCRA operates more than 20 teams across the FIRST program pathway: FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for PreK through grade 8, FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for grades 7-12, and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) for grades 9-12. The organization serves over 300 students annually at 'The Zone' (Charlotte FIRST Zone), a collaborative robotics building and testing facility located at 2102 Cambridge Beltway Drive, Suite B, with programming designed to mimic real business environments where students take on engineering, coding, marketing, logistics, and project management roles.

QCRA's program model combines competitive robotics teams, summer camps, after-school classes, and public outreach events that reach an estimated 5,000+ community members annually. Students use FIRST Robotics-standard platforms including LEGO-based systems, Tetrix kits, and 125-lb FRC competition robots. The organization relies on approximately 70 volunteer mentors and coaches, with board oversight from senior executives at Bosch Rexroth, MHI, Infosys Limited, Conveyco Technologies, Wayne Brothers Companies, and Knipp Law Office. CEO Robert Lee Hillman leads the organization as of 2024, with Chairman Mark Rohlinger (Bosch Rexroth) heading the Board of Directors.

QCRA's revenue model is diversified across three streams: (1) family participation fees with need-based and merit scholarships covering up to 75% of program costs, (2) corporate and foundation sponsorships structured in tiered packages ranging from $600 (basic Sponsors) to over $20,000 (Strategic Sponsors), and (3) individual donations via GiveButter, PayPal, Zelle, paper checks, and in-kind Amazon Wish List contributions. The 2023 launch of the Adopt-A-Room campaign and relocation to the larger 'The Zone' facility signaled an organizational scaling phase. QCRA also expanded internationally in 2019 via a partnership with PREPARE, establishing FLL and FTC teams in southern India. The organization operates exclusively within the U.S. Southeast (Charlotte metro) as its primary market while testing international program replication.

Name

Queen City Robotics Alliance

Legal name

Queen City Robotics Alliance, Inc.

Website

https://queencityrobotics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Queen City Robotics Alliance is a Charlotte, NC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating 20+ FIRST Robotics teams (FLL, FTC, FRC) serving 300+ K-12 students annually through STEM education, summer camps, and community events at 'The Zone' collaborative facility, funded by family fees, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Services

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Competition Robotics Teams & Coaching (FLL/FTC/FRC, VEX) (EDAMADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE), Robotics After-School & Enrichment Clubs (EDAMADAA), LEGO / Block-Based Robotics Programs (EDAMADAD)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Competitive robotics teams
• K-12 robotics programs
• FIRST robotics competition
• Youth robotics training

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Family Fees: QCRA charges families participation fees for team membership, with scholarships available covering up to 75% of program costs for families without means to participate.
2. Corporate and Foundation Sponsorships: Corporations and foundations sponsor individual teams or programs through the Adopt-A-Room campaign. Sponsorship tiers range from $600 (basic Sponsors) to over $20,000 (Strategic Sponsors) annually.
3. Individual Donations: Community support from individuals through online donations (GiveButter, PayPal), Zelle, paper checks, and Amazon Wish List in-kind donations.
4. Adopt-A-Room Sponsorship: Primary sponsorship program placing corporate names in front of 300 students, 70 volunteers, and their families. Sponsorship levels include Strategic ($20,000+), Alliance ($9,000+), Gold ($4,000+), Silver ($2,500+), Bronze ($1,000+), and Sponsors ($600+).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Queen City Robotics Alliance (QCRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes and operates K-12 competitive robotics teams and STEM education programs in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. It delivers the tiered FIRST robotics pathway — FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for PreK-8, FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for grades 7-12, and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) for grades 9-12 — through more than 20 teams hosted at its dedicated collaborative workspace known as The Zone. The organization supplements team-based competitions with summer camps, after-school classes, workshops, and community events.

Product overview

Queen City Robotics Alliance (QCRA) operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing STEM education through competitive robotics programs. The organization offers a tiered robotics pathway: FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for PreK-8 grades, FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for grades 7-12, and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) for grades 9-12. These programs are delivered through multiple teams (including YETI, Avalanche Robotics, and various FTC/FLL squads), summer camps, and classes held at 'The Zone' facility. QCRA serves over 300 students annually across more than 20 teams, with programs designed to operate like real businesses where students explore roles in engineering, coding, marketing, logistics, and project management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FIRST LEGO League (FLL)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 students served annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PREPARE (501(c)(3))minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership formed in summer 2019 with PREPARE, a 501(c)(3) founded by YETI's Business Co-Captain, to start an FLL team and two FTC teams in southern India.
• YETI Robotics (FRC Team 3506)coreOthers · 1 January 2014YETI Robotics co-founded QCRA with other FRC teams. Started with only 16 students and 7 mentors. YETI won multiple Chairman's awards and has founded many FTC and FLL teams. Website: yetirobotics.org
• BOW Robotics (FRC Team 4290)coreOthers · 1 January 2014BOW Robotics co-founded QCRA alongside YETI, T-Rex, and Royal Robotics as one of the three founding FRC teams.
• T-Rex Robotics (FRC Team 4935)coreOthers · 1 January 2014T-Rex Robotics co-founded QCRA alongside YETI, BOW, and Royal Robotics as one of the three founding FRC teams.
• Royal Robotics (FRC Team 3701)coreOthers · 1 January 2014Royal Robotics co-founded QCRA alongside YETI, BOW, and T-Rex as one of the founding FRC teams.
• 100 Black Men of CharlottecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Autonomous Rex FTC Team 7989 was established in 2014 under the direction of the 100 Black Men of Charlotte, indicating a strategic partnership to support STEM education in the Black community.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Botball / KISS Institute for Practical Robotics: Runs K-12 student robotics competitions and educational programs in a similar model to QCRA's FIRST-based teams. Comparable as a nonprofit running team-based competitive robotics for school-age students.
• Iridescent (Technovation / Learning Lab): Nonprofit running youth STEM programs including AI/robotics and entrepreneurship learning, similar to QCRA's volunteer-driven team model. Comparable as a nonprofit STEM-education provider targeting underserved K-12 populations.
• YETI Robotics (FRC Team 3506): A founding FRC team of QCRA with multiple Chairman's Awards that operates community STEM outreach similar to QCRA programs. Directly comparable as a Charlotte-based competitive robotics team with parallel nonprofit-style programs.

Broad incumbents

• FIRST Inspires: The global nonprofit that designs and governs the FLL, FTC, and FRC programs QCRA runs. Directly comparable as the umbrella STEM/competitive robotics organization; QCRA is effectively a regional delivery partner for FIRST's curriculum and competitions.
• Code.org: National nonprofit promoting K-12 computer science education, including robotics-adjacent curricula. Comparable as a large nonprofit capturing K-12 STEM/digital-literacy attention and donor dollars that QCRA also targets.
• Project Lead The Way (PLTW): Large K-12 STEM curriculum nonprofit (computer science, engineering, biomedical) that competes for the same school and district partnerships and parent mind-share as QCRA. Comparable as a national STEM-education nonprofit targeting K-12 students.
• iRobot Education: STEM education arm of iRobot providing K-12 robotics curricula and the Root robot platform. Comparable as a corporate-affiliated K-12 robotics education provider offering structured programs and equipment.
• Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy: CMU-affiliated STEM/robotics education provider offering K-12 curricula, teacher training, and competitions. Comparable as a credible, established STEM-robotics education provider competing for educator adoption and student time.
• VEX Robotics (Innovation First International): Operates the VEX IQ, VEX V5, and VEX U competition platforms — a direct competitor to FIRST's FLL/FTC/FRC. Comparable as a K-12 competitive robotics ecosystem with affiliated teams, competitions, and curriculum.

Emerging players

• STEM Education Works: Provider of K-12 STEM/robotics curriculum, equipment, and training competing for school and program partnerships. Comparable as a K-12 STEM/robotics education provider in the same buyer-set as QCRA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/queencityrobot
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCElm2fWB-s1V4qe9lAk-U4Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/QueenCityRobotics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queen-city-robotics-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/queencityrobot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Queen City Robotics Alliance