Sponsors

Our sponsors are absolutely crucial to the success of our team. Each company we partner with provides us with tremendous support in the form of donations or parts. Many of our team mentors are from these companies. Also, our sponsors often provide us with unique opportunities to learn how our skills from robotics can be applied in the real world. We redefine the framework of traditional sponsorship through our Alliance for Learning and Leading Youth (ALLY) approach. The ALLY philosophy transforms traditional one-way sponsor relationships into symbiotic partnerships that fast-track students from high school to the workforce. Through ALLY,  students and mentors become interns and employees, further strengthening the relationship between FIRST and industry, making these companies more than sponsors, but partners who change the lives of students and engineering culture. These companies are more than just sponsors, they are our ALLYs in changing students lives and the engineering culture.

In the past, we have attended the Intuitive Surgical Open House and directed the surgical robots, and have also attended the Abbott Tech Expo where we received a tour of the stent labs. Some of our members have also gone to manufacturing sponsors to learn more about the manufacturing process and to better understand how we can better account for manufacturing capabilities in our designs. We are extremely appreciative of our sponsors, and do our best to promote their companies in return on our robots and team apparel.

Our financial sponsors are listed below. We also have manufacturing sponsors who are equally important for our success. Without their help, we would be unable to build the caliber of robots that we do.  They are described in more detail on their own page.

NASA

NASA is one of our most generous sponsors, and a strong supporter of FIRST, supplying us with a significant portion of our registration costs, in addition to a generous monetary grant for use on the robot.

We are one of three NASA Ames house teams along with teams 254 and 1868, and allows us to use the practice field there when we need to practice with our robot.

Google

Google is one of our main monetary sponsors who has provided us with grants over the years which help us maintain our team.

Auris Health

Auris Health is an innovator in surgical robotics and has long been a suppporter of 971.  Many of our mentors work at Auris and Auris has provided monitary as well as machining support for the team.  Our relationship with Auris has also provided many opportunities for 971 and other FIRST alumni to become engineering interns. They create platforms that enhance physician capabilities, evolve minimally invasive techniques, and create new categories of care that redefine optimal patient outcomes.

Peloton Technology

Peloton Technology joined us as an official sponsor for the 2019 season.  However, 971's association with Peloton goes back many years as many of their employees mentor the team and 971 alumni have interned with Peloton. Peloton is developing semi autonomous systems for platooning trucks for greater safety and fuel economy.  

Abbott Fund

Abbott Fund was one of the first corporate sponsors of our team.  They have provided us with grants for years in a show of continuing support of our team.  Abbott is a health care company that creates technology to help people live more fully.

Lockheed Martin

 Lockheed Martin joined us for the 2018 season.  We are honored and pleased to have them on the team.  Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American global aerospace, defense, security and advanced technologies company with worldwide interests. 

DSS SolidWorks

SolidWorks generously donates student licenses so that we can design our robot in CAD.  This is an essential part of our robot design and is part of what makes the team such a success.

The Linley Group

The Linley Group has been a generous sponsor of the team for many years.  The Linley Group is the leading supplier of independent technology analysis and strategic consulting in semiconductors for a broad range of applications including networking, communications, PCs, servers, mobile, and embedded.

Intuitive Surgical

Intuitive is also one of our long term continuing sponsors, providing us with monetary support as well as opportunities to interact with their robotics programs.  Intuitive Surgical develops, manufactures and markets robotic products for minimally invasive surgery.

Westcoast Products

Westcoast Products has been a long time supporter of the team.  Not only are they a great supplier of FIRST robotics parts, they are our partner in making 971 designed parts available to the wider FIRST community.

Automation Direct

Automation Direct joined us for the 2018 season.  They are an awesome supplier of parts for FRC robots.

Markforged

Markforged joined us for the 2018 season.  Because of their sponsorship we have been able to expand our 3D printing capabilities.

Harmonic Drive

Harmonic Drive joined our team of sponsors for the 2019 season.  Harmonic Drive makes precision equipment to provide motion control solutions.

Los Altos Robotics

Los Altos Robotics is a community based organization that is committed to providing robotics opportunities to the greater Los Altos area.  Team 971 is also proud to be part of their board.

All Premium Screen Printing and Embroidery

All Premium has been our source for team t-shirts for many years.  They graciously work with us on often tight deadlines and provide us with quality t-shirts.  They make us look good!

MVHS PTSA

The Mountain View High School PTSA has generously supported our team over the years.

Mountain View High School

MVHS provides us with our workspace and has been extremely supportive of us over the years.  The school and district administration have given us support and encouragement that allows us continue to grow and florish as a team.  In 2013 the school moved us into a larger lab facility and has helped us provide a richer program for the students on the team. In 2019, MVHS will begin construction on a new technology building that will house our robotics team and the engineering and computer science programs. We will have a shared machine shop with the Engineering class.

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