FIRST Tech Challenge @ Future Innovators Academy

Invest in the Next Generation
of Michigan Engineers

Three student robotics teams. Hundreds of hours of design, building, and competition. Your sponsorship makes it possible.

Become a Sponsor Meet the Teams

2026–2027 Season Fundraising

Our Goal: $5,000

Every dollar raised goes directly toward keeping three student teams on the field for the 2026–2027 FIRST Tech Challenge season.

Become a Sponsor

How your gift is used

Where the money goes

Category Cost per team
Robot parts & electronics$800
Field elements & game pieces$400
Team registration & competition fees$250
Team shirts, swag & pit display$150
Tools & equipment$100
Total cost per team$1,700

Teams also receive income through membership dues, grants, and in-kind contributions. Sponsorship fills the critical gap that keeps all three teams fully equipped.

Program overview

What is FIRST Tech Challenge?

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is an international STEM competition in which teams design, build, program, and drive a robot to compete against other teams in a game that changes every year.

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Real Engineering

Students design and build robots from scratch using physics, math, and mechanical principles — then program them in Java for autonomous and driver-controlled operation. No kits, no shortcuts.

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Teamwork

Students fill specialized roles — builder, programmer, driver, strategist, business lead — and must collaborate to succeed. Judges evaluate both the robot and the team’s culture and communication.

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Competition

Teams compete at regional qualifier events. Top performers advance to state championships and, from there, the World Championship. The FIA program participates in the FIRST in Michigan district.

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Global Scale

More than 7,000 FTC teams compete worldwide each season. Alumni go on to careers at NASA, SpaceX, Boeing, Google, and countless engineering firms — many crediting FTC as the turning point.

Our home base

What is FIA?

The Future Innovators Academy (FIA) is a STEM-based learning center in Ann Arbor, Michigan dedicated to empowering the next generation of innovators. FIA offers afterschool programs, weekend workshops, and summer camps for students ages 4–14.

FIA’s philosophy centers on hands-on, project-based learning where productive failure is celebrated and curiosity leads the way. The FTC program is a natural extension of that mission: students tackle a genuine engineering challenge, fail fast, iterate, and compete.

FIA provides workspace, equipment, and a community of mentors — including local engineers, software developers, and CAD specialists — who volunteer their time alongside the teams each week.

Our team demographics

Who are our students?

Our three teams bring together 30 students from more than 10 different schools across the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area — including two students who are homeschooled.

2025–2026 Decode Season

Meet Our Teams

Three teams. Three robots. One community. Each team designs and builds their robot independently, competing at qualifiers and league events across Michigan.

Team #26859

Spark Squad

FIA’s most experienced team, Spark Squad entered the 2025–2026 Decode season with a full roster of returning members. They competed in the FIRST in Michigan league circuit, including events at Greenhills, Jackson, and Saline.

  • Returning members from prior season — FIA’s longest-running FTC team
  • Competed in three league meets plus the League Tournament
  • Qualified for the Michigan State Championship in 2024–2025 — their first season
  • Qualified for the Michigan State Championship again in 2025–2026 — advancing to States in both seasons they have competed

Team #30837

Ann Arbor Androids

One of two brand-new FIA teams for the 2025–2026 season, the Ann Arbor Androids hit the ground running. Several members came with prior FIRST LEGO League experience; others were introduced to FTC through FIA’s intro camp.

  • First-season team, launched September 2025
  • Competed at the Ann Arbor Qualifier (Nov 2025) and Qualifier 2
  • Received FTC Hardship Grant from FIRST HQ
  • Received Armada PiGears Gear Up Grant
  • Outreach at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum (October 2025)

Team #31261

Hack Attack

Hack Attack is the second of FIA’s two new 2025–2026 teams. With a mix of students new to robotics alongside some with coding backgrounds, the team developed an inventive robot featuring extensive custom 3D-printed components.

  • First-season team, launched September 2025
  • Competed at the Ann Arbor Qualifier (Nov 2025) and Qualifier 2
  • Qualified for the Michigan State Championship in 2025–2026 — an exceptional achievement for a rookie team
  • Received Armada PiGears Gear Up Grant
  • Received FTC Sim Grant
  • Designed and fabricated extensive custom 3D-printed robot parts in OnShape

All three teams participate in the FIRST in Michigan district and share workspace, mentors, and resources at FIA in Ann Arbor.

Make an impact

Why Sponsor FTC at FIA?

When you sponsor our teams, you’re not buying advertising — you’re investing in the people who will build the future of your industry.

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Technical Skills

Students graduate with hands-on experience in mechanical design, electronics, Java programming, and CAD — skills employers actively seek.

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Problem-Solving

Every season presents a new game, new constraints, and new failures to work through. Students learn to diagnose, iterate, and persist.

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Communication

Teams present to judges, talk to sponsors, demo robots to the public, and write engineering notebooks — communication is inseparable from competing.

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Community

FIA serves students from more than 10 schools across the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area, including students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Become a Sponsor

With gratitude

Our Sponsors

These organizations make our program possible.