Texas Torque (FRC 1477)

What Texas Torque (FRC 1477) does

Texas Torque (FRC Team 1477) is a high school FIRST Robotics Competition team based at College Park High School in The Woodlands, Texas, operating as an extracurricular program under the Conroe Independent School District. Founded in the early 2010s (with the team's history on its website referencing robots back to 2008), the team is composed of approximately 36 student members supported by industry mentors, parents, and alumni, and operates from a dedicated lab/fabrication facility ('TTWHQ') equipped with CNC machines, laser cutters, and CAD/CAM tooling.

The team's core activity is designing, fabricating, and competing with annual FRC competition robots — purpose-built for each season's game challenge (e.g., 'Sonic' in 2013, 'Bravo' and 'Armageddon' in 2018, 'Ray' in 2019, 'Takeoff' in 2024, 'Delta' for 2025/2026). Engineering work spans mechanical design (swerve drivetrains, telescoping arms, flywheels), electrical systems (CAN Bus, custom 'MAX Hat' and 'NEO MAX' hardware), and software (vision, controls). The team also produces shared technical resources for the broader FIRST community, including Torque Vision (custom computer vision), VersaRunner (swerve platform), open-source code on GitHub, and Torque Tutorials / TorqueLearn educational content. Notable non-competition products include the FA-20 HBF air filtration device (under $100, MERV-13 HEPA box-fan filter, ~6 air changes/hour) and the IB-2000XL intubation chamber (patent application filed), both produced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas Torque has no commercial revenue model. Funding comes from corporate and foundation grants (Halliburton at $10,000/year for 8+ years; Gene Haas Foundation at $2,500/year), event registration fees from The Remix off-season competition ($300–$400 per FRC team, with pre-rookie teams admitted free), t-shirt and concessions proceeds, and one-time community donations (e.g., ~$40,000 GoFundMe/PayPal raised for COVID-19 PPE production). Net event proceeds are donated to charitable beneficiaries including the Montgomery County Women's Center, Angel Reach, and Texas Children's Hospital. Distribution and outreach span school/district recruitment, the annual Remix event (40 teams from Texas and Mexico in 2025), summer robotics camps, international FLL camps in Mexico, and a China robotics exchange (2018). The team has been recognized with the 2013 FRC World Championship, the 2024 Johnson Division win, 10+ consecutive World Championship qualifications, four consecutive Chairman's Awards (2016–2019), and the honor of leading the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2013.

Name

Texas Torque (FRC 1477)

Legal name

Texas Torque: Team 1477

Website

https://texastorque.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Texas Torque (FRC 1477) is a ~36-student high school FIRST Robotics Competition team at College Park High School in The Woodlands, Texas, that designs annual competition robots, hosts The Remix off-season event, runs STEM outreach and mentorship programs, and funds operations through corporate sponsorships and event proceeds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education and Youth Robotics Programs

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

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)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• High school robotics
• FIRST Robotics Competition
• Robotics mentoring
• STEM outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

The Woodlands

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate and Foundation Sponsorship: Texas Torque receives direct financial contributions from corporate sponsors and foundations. Halliburton has provided sustained platinum-level sponsorship for eight or more years, including $10,000 annual renewals. The Gene Haas Foundation grants $2,500 per year. Subsea 7 and iTech 7 offer scholarships to graduating seniors.
2. Event Registration Fees: The Remix off-season competition charges $300–$400 per team for registration. Pre-rookie teams attend free of charge. Any remaining profit after expenses is donated to charity (Montgomery County Women's Center, Angel Reach, Texas Children's Hospital).
3. Community Donations and GoFundMe: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Torque raised funds via GoFundMe (approximately $20,000 initial, $7,000 direct PayPal donations, $13,000+ balance reported) to support PPE production. Donations fund material costs for face shields and intubation chambers provided free to healthcare providers.
4. T-shirt and Concessions Sales: Revenue from t-shirt sales at The Remix and concessions operations at community events (e.g., Woodforest Bank Stadium football games) is donated to charitable causes and scholarships such as the Ray Wert Memorial Scholarship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Texas Torque (FRC 1477) is a high school FIRST Robotics Competition team that designs, builds, and fields competitive robots each FRC season, hosts The Remix off-season event in Texas, mentors younger FIRST teams (FLL/FTC), and runs STEM outreach programs. The team operates as an extracurricular program under the Conroe Independent School District at College Park High School in The Woodlands, TX, supported by corporate sponsorships and community donations. The team also develops and shares engineering resources (open-source code, CAD files, tutorials) with the broader robotics community.

Product overview

Texas Torque (FRC 1477) is a high school FIRST Robotics Competition team that builds annual competition robots for FRC game challenges. Their product portfolio centers on competition robots (Delta, Takeoff, Ray, Armageddon, Bravo, Rev1, Sonic) built each season, supplemented by The Remix — the longest-running off-season FRC event in Texas. They also produced the FA-20 HBF air filtration device during COVID-19, and share open-source code via GitHub alongside educational tutorials (Torque Tutorials, TorqueLearn) for the broader robotics community. The team operates from College Park High School in The Woodlands, TX.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Remix: An annual off-season FIRST Robotics Competition event hosted by Texas Torque, described as the longest-running off-season event in Texas, featuring teams from Texas and Mexico competing in the previous season's game.
• College Park Robotics

Products and services

• FRC Competition Robots Annual competition robots designed, fabricated, and programmed by Texas Torque students for FIRST Robotics Competition game challenges. Each robot is engineered for the specific year's game and is used to compete at regional and world championship events.
• The Remix Off-Season FRC Competition An annual off-season FIRST Robotics Competition event hosted by Texas Torque at College Park High School in The Woodlands, Texas. The event draws 25–40 teams annually from Texas, other U.S. states, and Mexico to compete in the previous season's game. Registration is $300–$400 per team, with pre-rookie teams attending free of charge.
• FA-20 HBF Air Filtration Device A box fan air filtration system using a HEPA furnace filter with 13 MERV rating, designed to combat COVID-19. Estimated to turn over air in a standard classroom approximately six times per hour. Total cost under $100 per unit. CAD files available on GrabCAD.
• Intubation Chamber IB-2000XL A student-designed intubation box for protecting medical staff during intubation procedures, featuring armholes with silicone gaskets and a suction port. Patent application filed by Texas Torque. Developed by Michael Menezes with additional features from mentor Scott Rippetoe.
• Summer Robotics Camps STEM education camps for younger students (elementary and middle school) teaching FLL (LEGO Robotics) and FTC concepts, hosted by Texas Torque members at the team lab. Includes international FLL camps in Mexico and co-hosted summer camps with peer FRC teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 2013 FRC World Championship and Johnson Division at 2024 World Championship, advancing to Einstein's in both years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FRC 7492 CavBots / Turbo TorquecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2025Texas Torque (FRC 1477) and FRC 7492 merged in summer 2024 to form College Park Robotics. FRC 1477 retains the Texas Torque name while 7492 is now Turbo Torque. Both teams share facilities at College Park HS and co-organize The Remix event.
• Montgomery County Women's CenterminorOthers · 24 October 2023Texas Torque donates proceeds from The Remix event to the Montgomery County Women's Center. LEGO kits from The Remix are donated to local children's hospitals, and bedding sets go to Angel Reach.
• Angel ReachminorOthers · 24 October 2023Angel Reach, a program for young adults who have aged out of the foster care system, receives bedding donations from The Remix. The team also supported Angel Reach through LEGO kit drives and bedding drives.
• Texas Children's HospitalminorOthers · 24 October 2023Texas Torque donated LEGO kits to Texas Children's Hospital, funded by donations collected at The Remix event from attending teams.
• FRC 5414 Pearadox and FRC 3735 VorTXminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2022Co-hosted a summer robotics camp at Texas Torque's lab for 5th–8th graders, teaching FLL (LEGO Robotics) together with Pearadox and VorTX.
• VEX RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2020VEX Robotics produced and shipped RobotShield kits directly to healthcare providers and partnered with Texas Torque in the Texas Robotics PPE Project, providing plastic materials for face shield production (up to 10,000 shields) and distributing the team's designs nationwide.
• FRC 148 RobowranglersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2020Robowranglers designed the RobotShield face shield used by Texas Torque and VEX Robotics in the Texas Robotics PPE Project. Texas Torque assembled and distributed shields in partnership with the Robowranglers design.
• NEMA EnclosurescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2020NEMA Enclosures is a longtime sponsor that provided sheet metal and powder coating for robots. During COVID-19, they cut plastic face shield material at 200+ units per day, dramatically accelerating PPE production. They continue providing materials for the team's ongoing fabrication needs.
• AndyMarkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2020AndyMark shipped polycarbonate materials to Texas Torque for the creation of IB-2000XL intubation boxes during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
• FRC 118 RobonautsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2020Team 118 Robonauts collaborated with Texas Torque and FRC 148 Robowranglers on COVID-19 PPE projects. Robonauts also opened their headquarters for practice sessions alongside multiple Texas teams.
• FRC 6684 RoboCats (Laredo)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2018A mentor from FRC 6684 RoboCats attended the closing ceremony of the CIM Robotics FLL camp in Nueva Rosita, Mexico, supporting Texas Torque's international outreach.
• FRC 6304 EAGLE (China)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2018Hosted Texas Torque at their facility in Zhengzhou, China during the 2018 China trip. The teams competed with soccer robots and exchanged cultural and robotics knowledge. EAGLE also covered hospital bills for sick team members.
• FRC 7095 HiMach (Beijing)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2018Partnered with Texas Torque at the 2018 Chinese Robotics Challenge as part of the third-seed alliance, advancing to the semifinals representing the United States.
• FRC 5449 Prototype (Beijing)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2018Part of the third-seed alliance with Texas Torque and FRC 7095 HiMach at the 2018 Chinese Robotics Challenge, advancing to the semifinals.
• RepsolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2018Repsol invited Texas Torque to the Repsol Student Awards, an event recognizing top STEM students in the local school district. Texas Torque demonstrated their 2018 robot 'Bravo' and interacted with NASA astronaut Dr. Anna Lee Fisher.
• NRG Stadium / NRG ParkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2016NRG Stadium hosted the FIRST Robotics Showcase where Texas Torque competed against three other NRG-sponsored teams, winning first place and $5,000. NRG sponsors teams 1477, 4587, 3847, and 3735.
• FedExminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2014Provided logistics and shipping services in partnership with FIRST for Texas Torque's participation in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• Southwest AirlinesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2014Provided travel services in partnership with FIRST for Texas Torque's participation in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• Conroe Independent School District (CISD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2014CISD Superintendent Dr. Don Stockton visited Texas Torque World Headquarters, engaged with student presentations on a proposed STEM center for the district, and supports the team's operations at College Park High School.
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2013As 2013 FRC World Champions, Texas Torque was given the special honor of cutting the ribbon and leading the 86th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City with robot 'Sonic.' FedEx and Southwest Airlines provided logistics support in partnership with FIRST.
• Signs Now of North HoustonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2013Signs Now of North Houston donated vinyl decals for the team trailer, creating and applying the new Texas Torque branding and team number within two days.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• VEX Robotics (Innovation First International): A competing K-12 robotics competition platform (VEX IQ, VEX V5) and a Texas Torque partner during COVID-19 PPE production. Comparable as an adjacent STEM robotics platform serving similar student populations through competition and curriculum.

Direct peers

• FRC Team 118 (Robonauts): League City, TX-based elite FRC team and NASA-affiliated partner. Already a Texas Torque partner; comparable as a fellow Texas FRC team with NASA collaboration and shared PPE effort.
• FRC Team 2056 (OP Robotics): St. Catharines, Ontario-based elite FRC team with multiple World Championship wins. Comparable as a high-performance Canadian FRC program with strong technical resources and outreach.
• FRC Team 254 (Cheesy Poofs): San Jose, CA-based elite high school FRC team and perennial World Championship contender. Directly comparable as a long-tenured, sponsor-backed FRC team that shares resources and open-source code with the broader FIRST community.
• FRC Team 1678 (Citrus Circuits): Davis, CA-based elite FRC team known for its scouting app and engineering excellence. Comparable as a top-tier FRC program that develops and shares technical resources with the FIRST community.
• FRC Team 148 (Robowranglers): Greenville, TX-based elite FRC team with World Championship credentials. Already a Texas Torque partner (PPE collaboration); comparable as a fellow elite Texas-based FRC program with similar industry sponsorships.
• FRC Team 2767 (Stryke Force): Holland, MI-based elite FRC team with multiple World Championship appearances. Comparable as a high-performance FRC program known for technical innovation and community outreach.
• FRC Team 1114 (Simbotics): St. Catharines, Ontario-based elite FRC team with multiple World Championship wins. Comparable as a high-performance, industry-sponsored FRC team with strong engineering culture and alumni network.
• FRC Team 1986 (Team Titanium): Lee's Summit, MO-based elite FRC team with World Championship credentials. Comparable as a long-tenured, sponsor-backed FRC team with strong engineering culture.

Broad incumbents

• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): The parent organization of the FRC program. While not a direct peer, FIRST is the broader ecosystem within which Texas Torque operates and provides the competition structure, sponsorship pathways, and community that enable the team's existence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/texastorque
• GitHubgithub.com/TexasTorque
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FRC1477
• Facebookfacebook.com/TexasTorque
• Instagraminstagram.com/frc1477
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/texastorque

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Texas Torque (FRC 1477)