FIRST® Announces Growing List of STEM Industry Leaders as Sponsors for 2024 FIRST® Championship Event
Tens of thousands from around the world will gather in Houston this April for the world’s largest celebration of STEM for students
Manchester, N.H. April 3, 2024 – FIRST®, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future, today announced a growing list of STEM industry leaders as sponsors for the 2024 FIRST Championship, the world’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for students, happening in Houston, Texas (April 17-20, 2024) this spring.
“Our sponsors support FIRST in our commitment to bolster the STEM workforce pipeline and empower young innovators to follow their passions and curiosities,” said Chris Moore, CEO, FIRST. “As sponsors of the 2024 FIRST Championship, these companies help provide unforgettable STEM experiences for the thousands of young people who will compete there this spring.”
The 2023-2024 FIRST® IN SHOWSM presented by Qualcomm season celebrates the roles our STEM skills play in the arts and design and inspires students to build a world of endless possibilities. More than 35,000 students, coaches, and supporters from 43 countries will participate in the 2024 FIRST Championship event in Houston. With the support of FIRST sponsors, the event promises participating robotics teams and spectators alike an inspiring and action-packed experience that has all the heart-pounding thrill and team spirit of a professional sporting event. Live robotics match coverage and behind-the-scenes highlights will stream on FIRSTtv. Audiences can also follow FIRST social channels for exclusive coverage of all the excitement.
The Lead Sponsor of the 2024 FIRST Championship is Mouser Electronics. Co-Sponsors include Bechtel Group Foundation, Central Intelligence Agency, Coca-Cola Company, CrunchLabs, DoD STEM, The Gene Haas Foundation, Molex, the United State Air Force, United Therapeutics Corporation, and Walt Disney Imagineering. Friends of FIRST Sponsors include; Aramco, ARMI | BioFabUSA, Ball Corporation, Houston First, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, PwC, TE Connectivity, and United Airlines.
The international FIRST Championship in an annual event hosted by FIRST, a youth-serving nonprofit founded by inventor Dean Kamen, to showcase and celebrate mentor-guided student robotics teams from four programs: FIRST® Robotics Competition (grades 9-12); FIRST® Tech Challenge (grades 7-12); FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge (grades 4-8); FIRST® LEGO® League Explore (grades 2-4).
For more information on FIRST Championship, please visit firstchampionship.org. Media interested in attending FIRST Championship should register at firstchampionship.org/media.
About FIRST®
FIRST® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured afterschool programs. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges. An international not-for-profit organization founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships, and employers, and a place in FIRST community for life. Learn more at firstinspires.org.