Steve Clean Hacking for Defense @ Stanford 2026 – Lessons Learned Presentations

Hacking for Defense is now in 70 universities, together with 20+ in the UK – and this 12 months in Poland and Germany – with groups of scholars working to know and assist remedy nationwide safety issues.

This year’s problems got here from the Navy, Air Force, Army Research Lab, Defense Innovation Unit, IQT, and NASA.

This quarter 9 groups of 42 college students at Stanford collectively interviewed 1132 beneficiaries, stakeholders, necessities writers, program managers, business companions, and so forth. – whereas concurrently constructing a collection of AI-driven minimal viable merchandise and growing a path to deployment.

We opened this 12 months’s closing shows session with an important speak about AI and protection – previous, current and future – from (Ret) LTG Jack Shanahan. Jack was the Director of the DoD Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). Watching his speak is a worthwhile use of your time.

If you possibly can’t see Jack Shanahan’s video click on here

During the quarter visitor audio system within the class included Owen West – director of the Defense Innovation Unit, Mike Brown – accomplice at Shield Capital, (Ret) LTG Joseph McGee latest head of the Joint Staff J5 (technique, plans, and coverage,) and Hon Marise Payne Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.

“Lessons Learned” Presentations
Each of the eight groups gave a closing “Lessons Learned” presentation together with a 2-minute video to offer context about their drawback. Unlike conventional demo days the place groups exhibit, “Here’s how good I’m, and isn’t this an important product, please give me cash,” the Lessons Learned shows inform the story of every crew’s 10-week journey and hard-won studying and discovery. It’s a curler coaster narrative describing what occurs once they uncover that all the pieces they thought they knew on day one was fallacious and the way they ultimately acquired it proper.

While all of the groups used the Mission Model Canvas, Customer Development and AI instruments to construct Minimal Viable Products, every of their journeys was distinctive.

This 12 months we had the groups add two new slides on the finish of their presentation: 1) inform us which AI instruments they used, and a pair of) their estimate of progress on the Technology Readiness Level and Investment Readiness Level.

Here’s how they did it and what they delivered.

Team Noctua – Started with an issue that stated, “Special operators can’t detect drones passively, with out exposing their place.” They ended up understanding {that a} bigger drawback was, “Dismounted troops and base defenders lack a passive means to offer early warning detection of all kinds of drones, together with these which might be RF silent.

If you possibly can’t see the Noctura video click on here

If you possibly can’t see the Noctura presentation click on here

These are “Wicked” Problems
Wicked issues refer to actually advanced issues, ones with a number of transferring elements, the place the answer isn’t apparent and lacks a definitive components. Most issues our Hacking For Defense college students work on fall into this class. They are sometimes ambiguous. They begin with an issue from a sponsor, and never solely is the answer unclear however determining tips on how to purchase and deploy it’s also advanced. Most typically college students discover that in hindsight the issue was a symptom of a extra fascinating and sophisticated drawback – and that Acquisition within the Dept of War is in contrast to something within the business international stage.

Instead of admiring issues from inside a classroom our college students get of the constructing and study, discovery and iterate.

The determine reveals the kinds of issues Hacking for Defense college students encounter, with the commonest ones shaded.

Team SwarmShield – The preliminary drawback was framed as, the price of utilizing costly interceptors to shoot down low cost drones. By the top of the category the Team realized the issue was constructing terminal steering that lets an affordable, throwaway drone discover and hit an attacker at evening.

If you possibly can’t see the SwarmShield abstract video click on here.

If you possibly can’t see the SwarmShield presentation click on here

Department of War Directory – This 12 months the scholars had entry to a Department of War Directory – primarily a phonebook of  ~5,700 names of “Who buys within the Dept of War?” The listing features a tutorial on how the DoW buys and the varied acquisition and funding processes and applications that exist for startups. It supplies particulars on tips on how to promote to the DoW and the place the Program Acquistion Officers (PAEs) match into that course of.

Team Weapons Without Wait – The preliminary drawback for this crew was “Retool and scale protection manufacturing capability to replenish important munitions on the tempo required by sustained, high-intensity conflicts.”  This is what I name a “boil the ocean” drawback” – huge and huge – and imprecise. By class finish the crew realized what was quickly achievable (and wanted) was inexpensive, licensed munitions for small drones produced on the point-of-need.

If you possibly can’t see the Weapons Without Wait video click on here

If you possibly can’t see the Weapons Without Wait presentation click on here

It Started With An Idea
Hacking for Defense is constructed on the identical methodology as Lean LaunchPad class I created at Stanford in 2011. It was adopted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) because the NSF I-Corps (Innovation Corps) to coach Principal Investigators who wished an SBIR grant. Now in its second decade and in 100+ universities, I-Corps has develop into a normal for science commercialization on the NSF, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy –  coaching 3,251 groups and launching 1,400+ startups so far.

Team IonX – IonX additionally began with a “boil the ocean” drawback – The US wants a safe uncommon earth provide chain. They ended up with an issue extra tangible and deliverable – Mineral processors throughout bourses can’t determine and take a look at higher chemical reagent schemes.

If you possibly can’t see the IonX video click on here

If you possibly can’t see the IonX presentation click on here

Origins Of Hacking For Defense
In 2016, brainstorming with Pete Newell of BMNT and Joe Felter at Stanford, we noticed that college students in our analysis universities had little connection to the issues their authorities was making an attempt to unravel. We realized the identical Lean LaunchPad/I-Corps class would offer a framework to take action. That 12 months we launched each Hacking for Defense and Hacking for Diplomacy (with Professor Jeremy Weinstein and the State Department) at Stanford.

Team Cheese on the Moon – Started with a mandate to seek for mineral deposits on the moon. By class finish they realized that to do this lunar missions have to know what’s on and underneath the moon not solely to mine, however to land.

If you possibly can’t see the Cheese on the Moon video click on here

If you possibly can’t see the Cheese on the Moon presentation click on here

Goals for Hacking for Defense
A decade in the past, our aim for the category was to show college students Lean Innovation strategies whereas they engaged in nationwide public service. We wished to familiarize college students with the navy as a career and assist them higher perceive its experience, and its position in society. We additionally hoped the category would present our sponsors a technique that builds drawback understanding earlier than writing necessities.

The class nonetheless does all this, however now that the DoW is shopping for from startups and protection enterprise capital is plentiful, the category has was a nationwide safety incubator. Most of our groups kind protection corporations.