An identity
A Ponzi Pioneers jacket, polo, and lanyard. Founding-member numbering. A LinkedIn-ready membership certificate suitable for college applications.
NEW · 2026-2027 SEASON · TEAM NUMBER PENDING
A new American FRC team
built to compete from day one.
The Ponzi Pioneers are a results-oriented competitive robotics organization launching for the 2026-2027 season. Sponsored by WCP and REV Robotics. Operating out of the FIRST Championship venue. Practicing on a regulation Einstein field. Designed so members compete at the highest level beginning their first season.
- 2026Founding season
- 15Projected student base
- 2Strategic sponsors
— The Vision
Not just a team.
A launchpad.
Traditional FRC programs ask families to invest four to six years before seeing a single Einstein appearance. We've engineered that waiting period out of the experience. Founding members compete at the highest level immediately — through pre-arranged alliance commitments, contractual outcome guarantees, and a member growth program that ensures every cohort exceeds the last. The 2026-2027 founding cohort is intentionally limited to a projected student base of fifteen slots.
01
Compete from day one
No rookie season. No "rebuilding year." Founding members ship a championship-caliber robot in season one.
02
Outcomes in writing
Einstein appearance, Top-8 alliance captaincy, and Impact Award eligibility — guaranteed contractually at the time of dues remittance.
03
A pathway, not a lottery
The traditional path to FRC excellence is luck and attrition. We've replaced it with a structured downstream growth program.
— Leadership
Founded by an FRC veteran.
MP
Marco Ponzi
Founder & Head Mentor
Marco is a great-grandson of Charles Ponzi, the early-twentieth-century financier, and brings a family legacy of structured capital programs to the competitive robotics space. After two decades in alternative finance, he founded Ponzi Pioneers to address what he describes as a systemic inefficiency in how families allocate investment toward FRC outcomes.
Meet with Marco →"Members first. Returns always."
— Strategic Partnership
Backed by the industry standard.
The Ponzi Pioneers maintain (pending) sourcing relationships with the two most recognizable component suppliers in competitive robotics. Hardware is procured at preferred-partner pricing and integrated by our in-house mechatronics partners.
WCP
West Coast Products
Drivetrain & structural*
REV
REV Robotics
Motion & control systems*
87.4
Projected EPA
(season 1, pre-build)
(season 1, pre-build)
#1
Targeted regional seed
per internal scouting model
per internal scouting model
100%
Einstein appearance rate
contractual
contractual
Top 1%
Targeted cohort performance
per founding-season model
per founding-season model
*Partnerships are aspirational and pending counterparty confirmation. Performance projections are generated by an internal model that has not yet been validated against on-field results, because there have not yet been any on-field results.
— The Program
Everything included.
A single annual commitment covers the entirety of the competitive season. No supplemental fundraising. No "team store." No silent auctions. No restaurant nights. No car washes. Just one wire transfer.
Build & engineering
- AI-assisted CAD & mechanical design
- AI-generated controls & vision pipelines
- LLM-authored programming workflows
- Production-grade build cadence
- Member-optional involvement
Competition
- Pre-arranged alliance commitments
- Regional + district seeding (contractual)
- Championship division placement
- Einstein field appearance
- Impact Award eligibility
Travel & logistics
- All event registration fees
- Charter travel & lodging
- Championship-week credentials
- Concierge per diem
- Post-event banquet access
Member growth
- Personal referral code (PP-XXXXX)
- Structured downstream allocations
- Tiered upgrade pathway
- Founding-member status (permanent)
- Quarterly mentor dinner series
— The Experience
What your child actually gets.
A network
Direct access to a curated cohort of other founding member families. Quarterly dinners. A private Slack channel. Introductions to the kinds of people who pay $10,000 for an FRC team.
A trajectory
A documented competitive-robotics record suitable for college applications, alongside a curated photo archive of championship appearances. Members graduate with a portfolio aligned to a successful application narrative.
A referral code
Every member receives a personal referral code on their first day. The code is used to track founding-cohort growth and referring-member recognition across the season.
Optional involvement
Members are welcome to attend build sessions as their schedule permits. The build operates on a structured timeline to ensure competition readiness, so participation is encouraged but never required.
Documentation
A signed founding-member certificate, year-end performance statement, and a recognition packet for parents detailing the season's outcomes against contractual targets.
— The Season
Year-round, end-to-end.
JUN–AUG
Pre-Enrollment
Deposit clearance, founding-member confirmation, referral-code issuance, welcome kit shipment (subject to fulfillment partner availability).
SEP–DEC
Onboarding & Outreach
Family orientation, parent-portal access, FIRST registration submission, sponsor outreach (continued). Referral activation window opens.
JAN–FEB
Build Season
Build execution proceeds on a structured timeline, with assistance from AI-driven CAD, controls, and code-generation pipelines. Members receive weekly photo updates and are welcome to attend any of three (3) optional facility tours.
MAR–APR
Competition
Regional + district events per contractual outcomes. Top-8 seed and alliance captaincy locked in advance via scouting agreements.
APR
FIRST Championship
Members travel to the FIRST Championship venue. Einstein-field appearance executed. Photos captured. Banquet attended.
MAY
Re-Enrollment
Founding members are auto-invoiced for the following season. Referring members receive their cycle's downstream allocation statement.
— Expectations
What we expect from you.
Of students
- Attend the championship banquet
- Wear the founding-member jacket at all events
- Be available for alliance-selection and award photography
- Stand near the Einstein field during scheduled photo windows
- Speak positively about the program to peers and prospective members
Of parents
- Remit the $10,000 founding-member commitment on time
- Maintain founding-cohort engagement throughout the season
- Refer at least three (3) prospective founding families
- Avoid lateral comparison to non-bonded FRC programs
- Direct media inquiries to the founder before responding
— Founding Member Pricing
One tier. All upside.
Founding Member · 2026-2027
$
10,000
/ season
Regular price $16,000 — founding-cohort pricing locked until seats fill
- Founding-member roster placement (permanent)
- All build, competition, travel, and championship costs
- Einstein-field practice access
- Pre-arranged alliance + award eligibility
- Personal referral code & downstream earnings
- Written contractual outcome guarantees
- Quarterly mentor dinner series
Deposit is non-refundable. Program outcomes are subject to founding-cohort completion and overall program performance.
— Frequently Asked Questions
You probably have questions.
Is this team currently a registered FRC team?
Not yet. The Ponzi Pioneers are in the process of being formed for the 2026-2027 season. FIRST registration is pending and a team number has not yet been assigned. The roster is currently composed entirely of pre-registered founding members.
What happens if the team doesn't actually form?
Founding-member deposits are non-refundable regardless of whether the team is ultimately constituted, registered, or fielded. Members retain their referral codes in perpetuity.
How does the referral program work?
Each founding member receives a unique referral code (PP-XXXXX). When new members enroll using your code, you receive a structured downstream allocation. Top-tier referrers have, in principle, the capacity to pre-earn well in excess of their own deposit.
How are sponsorships confirmed?
Sponsorships are confirmed via inbound response. We have submitted outreach to West Coast Products and REV Robotics. Response is pending. Founding-member dues are sufficient to operate without sponsorship if necessary.
How does the Einstein field practice access work?
A regulation Einstein field has been sourced from FIRST Championship surplus inventory. Practice access is unrestricted for founding members during published facility hours. Facility address will be shared upon deposit clearance.
— Next Steps
Join the founding cohort.
Founding-member seats are filling on a first-paid, first-confirmed basis. To begin onboarding for the 2026-2027 season, reach out to Marco directly. Applications are handled personally.
Speak with the founder
Marco handles founding-member inquiries personally. Reach out by email or schedule a 30-minute conversation.