From Lean Startup to Hacking for Defense

Insight from Steve Blank, Co-Founder of the H4D Program, on how H4D became the Must-Take Course for Entrepreneurs

Curious how a program designed to solve national security challenges became one of the most sought-after courses for entrepreneurs at more than 70 colleges and universities?

In The Hacking for Defense Manual, the new H4D classroom companion textbook by Jeff Decker, PhD, program director of H4D and managing director of the Technology Transfer for Defense program at Stanford University, the foreword written by legendary entrepreneur Steve Blank, co-founder of the Hacking for Defense (H4D) program and creator of the Lean LaunchPad curriculum used in the course, explains how he and program co-founders, Pete Newell and Joe Felter, adapted his Lean Startup methodology to help students tackle real-world defense problems. What started in 2016 as a way to engage students with the Department of Defense (DOD) has grown into a revolutionary program that empowers entrepreneurial minds to develop solutions to the nation’s most critical security challenges.

Blank writes, "We had five goals for the Hacking for Defense class. The first was to teach how to develop the mindset, reflexes, agility, and resilience an entrepreneur working with the government needs in order to make decisions at speed and with urgency in a chaotic and uncertain world. We also encouraged students to engage in national public service by solving the problems, offering an alternative path for civic contribution beyond traditional programs like Teach for America or the Peace Corps. Thirdly, we taught innovators how to use Lean Methods—such as Customer Discovery and the Mission Model Canvas—to better understand real problems in the field and respond effectively to rapidly evolving, asymmetric threats. We wanted students to learn how to make meaningful contributions by understanding and rapidly prototyping solutions to national security problems, proving that students can deliver evidence of validated problems and solutions. Lastly, we created a 21st-century version of tech ROTC that could build a national network of universities teaching the course, offering the DOD and IC access to a new pool of technically sophisticated, entrepreneurial talent trained in Lean and Agile methodologies.”

H4D goes beyond the classroom - it bridges the gap between civilian talent and the DOD. With H4D, the teams don’t just build prototypes – they deliver actual deployable solutions and dual-use companies – that can scale to meet urgent defense needs. This combination of entrepreneurship and national service intersect in the most impactful way through the H4D program - a crucial model for today’s conflicted world.

Want to learn more about H4D? Read The Hacking for Defense Manual and discover why this course is a game-changer for entrepreneurial students looking to make a difference. Check out the book today on Amazon.

NOTE: FOR ANYONE ATTENDING THE WHARTON AEROSPACE VENTURES CONFERENCE OCTOBER 17 IN WASHINGTON, DC, JEFF DECKER WILL BE SIGNING COPIES OF THE H4D MANUAL FOR CONFERENCE ATTENDEES.

The Hacking for Defense program at Stanford University has created 20 startups that have generated 660 jobs and raised more than $350 million. To learn more about the H4D course at Stanford University, visit h4d.stanford.edu; to learn more about H4D around the world, visit h4d.us. To read excerpts of the NEW  upcoming H4D textbook, subscribe to the H4D Stanford Substack at stanfordh4d.substack.com