H4D, or Hacking for Defense, is a brand that offers a unique and credit-bearing university course focused on developing innovative solutions to the nation's emerging threats. This course provides the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Intelligence Community with an opportunity to collaborate with talented student teams. H4D engages multiple audiences by teaching students to apply the Lean LaunchPad methodology to solve real national security problems.

Through H4D, the DoD can connect with problem-solvers from academia, the private sector, and other non-traditional DoD actors. The course also aims to increase the speed at which government agencies solve mission-critical problems. Moreover, universities benefit from H4D as it keeps their programs attached to real-world issues and provides students with an experiential opportunity to become more effective in their chosen field.

The Hacking for Defense course uses proven teaching methodologies and focuses on addressing critical problems facing the DoD and the Intelligence Community. Each week, student teams deeply understand the sponsoring organization's problems through beneficiary interviews and develop initial hypotheses about the solutions. The teams receive feedback from instructors, mentors, and classmates, and document their progress on their blog.

With the guidance of mentors and the use of Mission Model Canvas, the teams learn and validate hypotheses, build minimal viable prototypes, and develop a deep understanding of rapidly deploying solutions. H4D is built on the success of various methodologies and programs, including the Lean LaunchPad, the Mission Model Canvas, and the National Science Foundation I-Corps Program. It also draws insights from startup methodologies.

Overall, H4D is a groundbreaking brand that facilitates collaboration between students, sponsors, and the DoD/IC, effectively solving real-world problems and fostering the rapid development and deployment of needed solutions