Who can apply?
All UC Berkeley students are welcome - all majors, all levels. If you are outside of UC Berkeley and are interested please contact jesse.rosenbaum@berkeley.edu
Do I need to be a "hacker"?
No! This not a purely coding or computer science class. This is a class where you will join a team and solve a real world problem together. Diverse skillsets will be critical to successful solutions - coders are welcome, as are policy experts, entrepreneurs, social scientists, engineers, artists, designers, makers and doers.
Do I need to be a US Citizen?
No! Problem statements will be developed by the problem sponsors to be appropriate for citizens and non citizens to work on.
When will problems be available?
Challenges and challenge sponsors will be listed on the site during the summer months. Examples of projects can be seen at http://hacking4defense.stanford.edu/
What is the difference between this course and the Lean Launchpad courses?
In some existing Lean LaunchPad courses, student teams come to class with a vision of a product or service they’d like to build. InHacking 4 Defense (H4D), student teams will work solving a problem put forth by a defense partner. Although teams select problem to solve, Hacking 4 Defense is not a product incubator for a specific technology solution. Instead, it provides teams with a deeper understanding of selected problems and the host of potential solutions that might be arrayed against them.
Do I have to have previous experience with defense or government?
No prior experience required. The class has experts and mentors to assist the teams (see the teaching team section).
How Do I Find Teams?
Teams will be formed with faculty support at the first week of class. You are welcome to apply with other students you'd like to work with, but please note each student must apply separately. Apply here.
What problem will my team work on?
Teams, once formed, will have a chance to select and rank the problem they'd most like to work on. Once picked, you will continue to work on that challenge with the problem sponsor throughout the remainder of the semester.
Keep in mind that successful companies are less about the original idea and more about the learning, discovery, and execution. That’s the purpose of this class. Therefore, you must be prepared to share your ideas openly with the class. It is a forum for you to "bounce" your ideas off your peers.
Who owns the intellectual property tested in the Mission Model?
If you’re working with a UC Berkeley related-technology (i.e. either research from one of the team members or University IP), you must check with the Intellectual Property & Industry Alliances office to understand UC ownership rights in resulting IP.
I feel my idea may become a real company and I want to own it myself. What should I do?
This is more than likely the wrong class to take. Your slides, notes, and findings will be publicly shared. Your team owns everything done in class. Discuss Intellectual Property rights with your team from the beginning. If you can’t come to agreement with the team, join another team, or pick another project. Anything you do and learn in the class is public.
Will my Intellectual Property rights be protected when I discuss my ideas with the class?
NO. This is an open class. There are no non-disclosures. All your presentations and Customer Discovery and Validation notes, mission model canvas, blogs and slides can, and most likely will, be made public. This class is not an incubator. At times you will learn by seeing how previous classes solved the same class of problem by looking at their slides, notes, and blogs.
What kind of support will our team have?
The teaching team consists of professors, experienced industry professionals, and course assistants. Each team will be assigned a mentor and will also have a problem sponsor.
The mentors have volunteered to help with the course and your team because they love hard problems, love startups, love making positive impact, and appreciate the importance of addressing problems facing the nation. Their job is to guide you as you get out of the building and to interface effectively with your sponsors -- but the project is yours.
The problem sponsors have an in-depth contextual understanding of the challenge and its implications for the organization from which they come. They serve a critical role in communicating the challenge as well as helping to connect you with the right people in their ecosystem as you develop potential solutions, and finally as a sounding board for your ideas as you develop them.
How often can we/should we meet with our mentor and our problem sponsor?
Your mentor is expecting to meet with you at least every week face-to-face or by Skype. You can email them or meet with them more often if they have time.
Interaction with the problem sponsor will vary, but a successful solution would require regular interaction. Typical engagements might be every other week.
Can I talk to a mentor not assigned to my team?
By all means, do so. All the mentors are happy to help. However they cannot support your team full-time unless your mentor decides to swap places with them.
I have a busy schedule and my mentor or sponsor can’t meet when I want them to.
Mentors and sponsors have day jobs. Asking them to meet or reply to you ASAP is not reasonable. Plan ahead to allow for a reasonable amount of time for a reply or meeting. Be concise with your request and be respectful of their time.
I need help now.
You first stop is your GSI. Email or sit down with them during the week if you have a problem. Your professors have office hours each week. If you need something resolved sooner, email us.
What roles are in each team?
The teaching team will recommend each team do a team kick off where roles and responsibilities are outlined, as well as expectations voiced. As a team, you will be asked to figure out how to allocate the work, and roles typically evolve over time.
What if my team becomes dysfunctional?
Regular team check ins on team progress help to avoid many issues, but it is possible that your team will need to work through difficult issues. If a situation is not resolvable within a team, approach the teaching team. Do not wait until the end of the semester to raise the issue.
What if one of my teammates is not "pulling his/her weight"?
Try to resolve it within your team. If the situation continues longer than a week, please approach the teaching team. Final grades will also reflect individual participation and contribution.
What kind of feedback can I expect?
Substantive feedback, guidance, and suggestions will be provided weekly from the teaching team.