Both the local high school teams at the competition are newer to the world of underwater robotics than many of their competitors. Boulder High’s 11-student team is led by four recent graduates.

In 2021, the company followed that donation with a donation of $85,000 to start a high school robotics program. “From there, it just kept growing," Hatch said.

The team is primarily supported financially by the Jim and Dede Barttlet Foundation, which has promised to match donations. A Boulder High team competed at the world competition once before, in 2021.