Hi Again, where could I go about getting some sponsorship to support my robot building with tools, or a small sum of annual money what ever as i have seen many of you with sponsorships. Is it even worth doing?
Thanks
-JAY ;D
Might want a robot which has proven itself to be a good robot first before sponsorship.
I've got a book which says something about sponsorship, I would quote that but i've misplaced it.
Trying to get a sponsor without a national ranking is like getting a job without a resume. I'm not saying it's impossible, just really hard.
It is usually far easier to get companies to provide their services than cold hard cash. Take a look in the yellow pages and look at local companies and get in contact with them. You can approach larger companies however you may find that they get asked for sponsorship for various projects all the time.
When approaching a company, be honest about what you are offering them. Don't say that you will get their name on TV as the chances of that these days are minimal to zero at best. If you have a completed robot then take it to them or show pictures. If you don't have a robot have CAD drawings so they can easily visualise what you are planning on building. You can offer to let them borrow the robot to display their products to customers. Displaying the company name on a robot during competitions is usually the standard offer with a mention on websites etc. What benefits does this bring them? Well if you are at a big competition your machine may be viewed by a good few hundred people and other roboteers may want to contact them about their products or services.
Personally I'm not a fan of sponsorship. Two reasons, I don't like my machines covered in other peoples logos and with sponsorship there is an expectation that you will deliver on your promises (hence don't promise the world!).
It can be done but takes a fair bit of work.
It depends what your looking for, if it's tools and money I would say you have almost no chance without having a robot thats proven itself to be one of the best already (or you have done other similar projects that have been that good).
If your after material's, like steel, aluminium, HDPE then it's not very difficult. Your best bet is to look up any local suppliers of those materials and go over to them explaining what your plans are, and if they have any offcut's that they would be able to supply you to help with the build. Dont promise them anything other than a thankyou on your website.
James and I at Robo Challenge have a number of sponsor's, from titanium to custom made one off hydraulic's - It's taken years of trying to build good machines that makes a sponsor want to give us something.
I am sponsored for RC helcopter flying, but again when I was starting I could only get offered the odd 10% off thing's to help me out as a kind gesture - but now my position in competitions is getting closer to the top I am now having companies contacting me offering their products for free.
It all takes time.
Thanks alot guys, Flicking through yellow pages as we speak ;D
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