RoboGames
RoboGames is a 501c3 non-profit that operates the Guinness-certified world's largest open robot competition, hosting 50+ multi-discipline events annually and selling curriculum-aligned educational robotics kits (OLLO, R-GEE, Tig, Engineer) through its e-commerce store.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What RoboGames does
RoboGames, Inc. is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2004 by David Calkins in San Francisco, California. It organizes what the Guinness Book of World Records has certified as the world's largest open robot competition, hosting annual multi-discipline events with 50-60 categories spanning combat robots, sumo, soccer, humanoids, art bots, and autonomous vehicle challenges. The flagship event drew 846 contestants across 224 teams from 15 countries at the San Jose Convention Center in April 2024, and operates under the umbrella of the parent Robotics Society of America (RSA).
The organization operates three revenue streams: (1) competition entry fees ranging from $85 for standard events up to $250 for 250lb combat robot entries, with additional team member passes at $85; (2) an e-commerce store on robogames.net selling curriculum-aligned educational robotics kits — primarily the ROBOTIS OLLO series (Initiate, Kinder, Spark, Excel, Dream II), the AI-focused R-GEE companion robot, the Tig humanoid with image/voice recognition, the STEM Standard Kit, and the Engineer Kit with Python AI programming — priced from $79.90 to $1,299.90 per set; and (3) special fundraising events such as the inaugural 'CrossRoads' entertainment-education event held in San Francisco in late 2024. A wholly-owned subsidiary, ComBots, LLC, manages event photography and IP licensing.
The go-to-market motion is event-driven: the organization builds awareness through extensive earned media (ESPN, Wired, BBC, CNN, Discovery, Nature, Scientific American), maintains a video gallery and tens of thousands of event photos, and uses an e-commerce storefront as a parallel monetization channel. Customer segments include amateur and professional robot builders (primary), general public spectators, youth/student competitors in the Junior League, and educational institutions purchasing STEM kits. The organization holds the registered 'RoboGames' trademark and has been featured in ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 highlights, Wired's Best Ten North American Geek Fests, and won an Event Magazine Marketing Warfare Judges Choice Award.
RoboGames firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RoboGames
- Legal name
- RoboGames, Inc.
- Website
- https://robogames.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- RoboGames is a 501c3 non-profit that operates the Guinness-certified world's largest open robot competition, hosting 50+ multi-discipline events annually and selling curriculum-aligned educational robotics kits (OLLO, R-GEE, Tig, Engineer) through its e-commerce store.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RoboGames industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Robotics Events & Educational Robotics
- NAICS
- All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993)
- SIC
- Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Competition Robotics Teams & Coaching (FLL/FTC/FRC, VEX) (EDAMADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Robotics Learning Platforms (EDAFANAB), Robotics After-School & Enrichment Clubs (EDAMADAA), LEGO / Block-Based Robotics Programs (EDAMADAD), Humanoid & General-Purpose Robots (HDAAAIAJ)
Keywords
Where RoboGames is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
RoboGames business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Competition Entry Fees: Robot builders pay entry fees to compete in various events, ranging from $85 for most events to $250 for the 250lb combat category. Entry passes are limited and additional team members cost $85 each.
- Educational Robotics Store: RoboGames operates an e-commerce store selling educational robotics kits (OLLO series, Robotis, STEM kits, Engineer sets) ranging from $79.90 to $1,299.90 per kit. Curriculum is provided free with kits.
- Fundraising Events: Special fundraising events like 'CrossRoads' combine entertainment (cosplay, robotic games, bars) with educational outreach. These are 501c3 non-profit activities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 250lb Combat Robot Entry |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 120lb Combat Robot Entry |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 60lb Combat Robot Entry |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Robot Events (Sumo, Humanoid, Soccer, etc.) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Additional Team Member |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | OLLO Initiate (PreK-K) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | OLLO Kinder (K-1st) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | OLLO Spark (2nd-3rd) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | OLLO Excel (4th-6th) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | R-GEE AI Companion (1st-5th) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tig Humanoid Robot (3rd-6th) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | STEM Standard (6th-12th) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Engineer Set (8th-Univ) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
RoboGames product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RoboGames organizes the world's largest open robot competition featuring 50+ events including combat, soccer, sumo, humanoid, and art robot categories, held annually at convention centers. The organization also operates an e-commerce store selling educational robotics kits (OLLO series, Robotis, STEM kits, Engineer sets) for PreK through university levels, with free curriculum included. RoboGames operates as a registered 501c3 non-profit.
Product overview
RoboGames operates as the world's largest open robot competition and also maintains an educational robotics retail store. The product portfolio consists of educational robotics kits spanning PreK through university levels, primarily from the ROBOTIS OLLO brand family (OLLO Initiate, OLLO Kinder, OLLO Spark, OLLO Excel, OLLO Dream II), supplemented by AI-focused robots (R-GEE and Tig), advanced programming platforms (STEM Standard, Engineer Kit), and specialty kits (Robot Explorer). The kits progress from simple mechanical assembly and basic coding concepts in early grades to advanced AI programming with Python, computer vision, and speech recognition capabilities at higher levels. All products include free curriculum and workbooks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- RoboGames Annual Robot Competition
Companies that use RoboGames
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
RoboGames technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
RoboGames partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Robotics Society of America (RSA)coreParent organization of RoboGames. Founded by David Calkins, president of RSA. RoboGames operates under the umbrella of the Robotics Society of America, which provided the organizational infrastructure and cross-pollination vision for robot competitions.
- ComBots, LLCcoreComBots, LLC handles photo licensing and rights management for RoboGames event photography. All photos from events are copyrighted by ComBots, LLC. The organization also does private events including full-scale combat events with 40x40 arena and 220-pound robots.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
RoboGames competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Wonder Workshop: Wonder Workshop sells Dash, Dot, and Cue educational robots for K-8 STEM, targeting the same school and parent budgets as RoboGames' OLLO and R-GEE kits. It is a smaller, venture-backed competitor focused on classroom curriculum integration.
- Sphero: Sphero (formerly Orbotix) produces programmable educational robots (Sphero BOLT, indi, RVR) and STEAM learning kits for schools. It competes with RoboGames' retail store in the same K-12 STEM robotics purchase channel.
- Maker Faire: Maker Faire is a community-driven maker/DIY event series featuring robotics demos and competitions. While not a dedicated robotics competition, it serves a comparable maker-hobbyist audience and overlaps with RoboGames' general public spectator and hobbyist community.
- Makeblock: Makeblock (mBot, Codey Rocky, Ultimate) is a global educational robotics platform with strong international school presence, particularly in Asia and Europe. It targets the same STEM robotics budget pools as RoboGames' OLLO and Engineer kit retail line.
Broad incumbents
- LEGO Education: LEGO Education is the dominant K-12 STEAM robotics curriculum provider (SPIKE, WeDo, Mindstorms successor). RoboGames' LEGO-bot event categories and OLLO retail offerings compete for the same educational budgets and STEM classroom dollars.
Direct peers
- BattleBots: BattleBots is a televised combat robot competition and the most prominent entertainment-focused combat robotics event in the U.S. RoboGames' combat categories compete directly with BattleBots for combat robot builders and media attention, though RoboGames includes many non-combat categories.
- VEX Robotics: VEX runs the VEX IQ, VRC, and VEX U competitions and sells its own educational robotics kits. VEX is a direct competitor to RoboGames in both competition organization and educational kit retail, and is more deeply embedded in school robotics programs.
- FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): FIRST runs the most prominent K-12 robotics competitions in the world (FRC, FTC, FLL) and is the dominant school-affiliated robotics competition organizer in the U.S. Both organizations run annual robot competitions with international participation, but FIRST is significantly larger and more school-integrated.
- RoboCup: RoboCup is an international robotics competition focused on autonomous robot soccer and rescue/league play. Both RoboGames and RoboCup attract international teams for head-to-head robot competition, though RoboCup concentrates on autonomous challenges while RoboGames is broader.
Others
- ROBOTIS: ROBOTIS manufactures the OLLO, DYNAMIXEL, and other educational robotics platforms that RoboGames resells in its retail store. ROBOTIS is a supplier/partner relationship and the closest direct comparison in educational robotics hardware innovation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RoboGames social profiles
Digital presenceRoboGames financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RoboGames leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
RoboGames subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
RoboGames funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RoboGames M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RoboGames
What does RoboGames do?
RoboGames organizes the world's largest open robot competition featuring 50+ events including combat, soccer, sumo, humanoid, and art robot categories, held annually at convention centers. The organization also operates an e-commerce store selling educational robotics kits (OLLO series, Robotis, STEM kits, Engineer sets) for PreK through university levels, with free curriculum included. RoboGames operates as a registered 501c3 non-profit.
Is RoboGames a public or private company?
RoboGames is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was RoboGames founded?
RoboGames was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is RoboGames based?
RoboGames is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does RoboGames make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Competition Entry Fees are the primary driver. The others are educational Robotics Store and fundraising Events.
Who are RoboGames's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Wonder Workshop, Sphero, Maker Faire and Makeblock. LEGO Education is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are BattleBots, VEX Robotics, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and RoboCup. ROBOTIS is listed as an others.
Does RoboGames have an API?
No public API is recorded for RoboGames.
What industry is RoboGames in?
RoboGames's product category is Robotics Events & Educational Robotics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMADAE, Competition Robotics Teams & Coaching (FLL/FTC/FRC, VEX), with a secondary code of EDAFANAB, Robotics Learning Platforms. Its NAICS code is 71399 and its SIC code is 3944.