H4D Alums in Inc. Magazine – Defense Tech’s New Guard: They’re Young, Patriotic, and Building the Future of Warfare
Two of the three founders featured are H4D alumni – showcasing how H4D is helping shape the future of national security innovation
The future of national defense is being reshaped by a new generation of tech-savvy entrepreneurs, as highlighted in the recent Inc. article by Sam Blum entitled, "Defense Tech’s New Guard: They’re Young, Patriotic, and Building the Future of Warfare." The founders profiled are young, mission-driven and unafraid to take bold action — foregoing traditional tech career paths in favor of building the next generation of national security solutions.
Among the entrepreneurs Inc. profiled are two alumni of the Hacking for Defense (H4D) program:
Andrew Powell, founder of Ethos, which creates combat pilot training software, credits H4D as the launchpad for his company. He is a H4D Stanford University alumnus from 2019.
Jarren Reid, founder of Usul, a Y Combinator-backed startup that simplifies defense contracting, also came through the H4D pipeline at Stanford as part of the 2024 cohort.
Both founders cite H4D as pivotal in shaping their paths into defense innovation. The program, which began at Stanford University ten years ago and has been taught at more than 70 colleges and universities, gives students real-world national security challenges to solve in partnership with Defense and national security agencies. Using the Lean Launchpad methodology of solving problems, the students come out of the classroom with real world experience and solutions that many are poised to move forward in the Defense Department pipeline.
As the Inc. story makes clear, the future of defense isn’t just with legacy contractors — it is also with agile, principled and prepared startup leaders like Powell and Reid. H4D is proud to play a role in supporting these innovators.
To read the full Inc. article, click HERE.
If you want to see how H4D solves problems for the Defense Department and national security, join the Stanford University cohort on Tuesday, June 3, at 5:15 pm PT, either in-person or online via livestream, to watch the teams present their work. RSVP HERE to secure your spot.
The Hacking for Defense (H4D) program has been taught at 70 colleges and universities around the world and has created 72 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 learn more about The Hacking for Defense® Manual by Jeff Decker, PhD, visit Amazon.