A six-month scout program for twelve students from the world's best universities. We give you a kickoff weekend, a cohort, and a budget. You find exceptional people on your campus and bring them into our community: raw talent for hackathons, and ideas, teams, and ventures for the Hack-Nation accelerator.

• Apply: rolling basis, early decision June 15, 2026. Promising candidates get a personal interview. Cohort selected mid-July.
• Kickoff weekend in Latin America: August 8-9, 2026. Flights and accommodation covered. Location announced closer to the date.
• Weekly mentorship calls: recurring sessions with AI leaders, VCs, and top founders. Scouts can suggest speakers and host sessions.
• Host 2 campus events: any format, scout's choice. Goal: surface exceptional talent. Sponsorship revenue partially shared.
• Host 1 hackathon: on your campus. You handle venue and marketing; we handle the rest centrally.
• Scout Finale: championship-style closing event. Each scout brings the best people from their school. Location & date TBD.

• Currently enrolled student: currently enrolled and graduating 2027 or later. This program is built around undergraduate student life, though we genuinely welcome exceptional master's and PhD candidates who feel the scout role fits them.
• Community and network builder: you invest in genuine relationships and build things that bring people together - you've started clubs, run events, and helped others connect.
• Thoughtful judge of talent: you notice potential others overlook and can articulate clearly why someone stands out.
• Storyteller: you understand how to position a story, are comfortable being the public face of what you build, and are okay with being featured on our social media.
• Entrepreneurially ambitious: you find unconventional paths forward and stay committed to seeing things through.

• A world-class cohort: peers from the best schools in the world. The group you'll scout with, travel with, and possibly be friends with for life.
• Mentorship: Weekly calls. Connect with top investors, founders, operators and researchers.
• Real skill-building: learn how to assess potential, recognize patterns, understand team dynamics, validate ideas, and build fluency across fields (engineering, entrepreneurship, and beyond).
• Highly personalized: With only 12 scouts globally, we work with each of you individually to transform your career trajectory. The program is designed to give you maximum flexibility and your academics can stay your priority.

Request a spot

We're reviewing applications on a rolling basis. If selected for the next round, we'll contact you for a personal interview.

FAQ

Everything you need to know about the HN¹² Scout Program.

• What exactly is the HN12 Program? +

  HN¹² is a six-month talent and venture scout program by Hack-Nation. We select 12 students, one per campus, at the world's best universities. Scouts identify exceptional builders for Hack-Nation hackathons and scout promising ventures for the Hack-Nation accelerator. Perks include a cohort, campus event budget, weekly mentorship, a kickoff weekend in Latin America, and a Scout Finale championship.

• Why the name HN12? +

  HN stands for Hack-Nation. 12 stands for 12 scouts across 12 universities, one per campus.

• Who is behind HN12? +

  Hack-Nation is a student-founded organization running one of the world's largest global hackathons, built out of MIT, plus a venture accelerator. It is backed by OpenAI, Lovable, ElevenLabs, and Mozilla.

• What is Hack-Nation? +

  Hack-Nation runs one of the world's largest global hackathons, built out of MIT by students and run bottom-up. It also encompasses a venture accelerator. A global platform at this scale needs global scouts: HN¹² is the first student-founded, student-run global talent and venture scout program. Learn more about Hack-Nation →

• What universities are participating? +
  • USA: Harvard · MIT · Stanford · UCLA · Berkeley · Caltech · Carnegie Mellon · Columbia
  • UK: Oxford · Cambridge
  • Europe: TU Munich · ETH Zurich
• Who is eligible to apply? +

  You must be currently enrolled at one of the 12 participating universities, graduating in 2027 or later. The program focuses on undergraduates but welcomes exceptional master's and PhD candidates. No technical background is required.

• My university is not listed. Can I still apply? +

  Generally no, but a compelling case is welcome. Select "Other" in the application form and explain why your campus should be included.

• How do I apply? +

  Fill out the application form: basic personal details, your CV, a 30-90 second intro video, and one short question. No essays or referrals needed. Apply here →

• When is the application deadline? +

  The application deadline for our first cohort is June 30, 2026. We review applications on a rolling basis, so applying early is encouraged.

• What does the program timeline look like? +

  Kickoff Weekend: Aug 8-9 in Latin America. Scouting: Aug-Dec. Hackathon: Oct 3-4. Scout Finale: Nov/Dec, with location and date to be announced. The total program duration is 6 months.

• Do I have to attend the Kickoff Weekend in person? +

  Yes, attendance is a hard requirement. All 12 scouts meet together in person. Flights and accommodation are fully covered by HN¹².

• What commitments are expected of scouts? +

  Scouts are expected to attend the Kickoff Weekend in person, join weekly mentorship calls, organize 2 campus events in any format, host 1 campus hackathon, and attend the Scout Finale. For the campus hackathon, you handle venue, food, and marketing; HN¹² handles the rest. The program is designed to fit around your academics.

• What does the selection process look like? +

  Submit your application, promising candidates are invited to a personal interview, and you will hear back from us shortly after the interview.

• What can you expect from this program? +

  A world-class cohort of 11 peers from top universities, flights and accommodation for the kickoff weekend, a campus event budget, weekly mentorship with investors, founders, operators, and researchers, real skill-building in assessing potential, validating ideas, and understanding team dynamics, a highly personalized experience with only 12 scouts globally, and a Scout Finale prize pool.

• Does the scout program include monthly payments? +

  HN¹² does not include a monthly stipend. We cover flights and accommodation for the Kickoff Weekend and provide a campus event budget.

• Is there an orientation or training provided? +

  The Kickoff Weekend is the orientation, bringing all 12 scouts together in person. Weekly mentorship calls provide ongoing guidance. There is no rigid curriculum. We give you a strong foundation and then get out of your way.

• Do I need a technical background? +

  No. Engineering, entrepreneurship, marketing, and community building are all valid backgrounds.

• What does the Scout Finale look like? +

  The Scout Finale is a championship-style closing event bringing together all 12 scouts and the best talent from each school, with a major prize pool. Location and date are TBA, targeting November/December 2026.