FAQ

HN¹² is a student venture scout program backed by HN¹² Ventures and Hack-Nation. Twice a year we select 12 students, one per campus, at the world's best universities. Our scouts find exceptional builders for Hack-Nation hackathons and promising teams for our venture incubator and the HN¹² fund. The program starts with the Kickoff Weekend and ends with the End of Cohort Trip. In between, you scout, receive weekly mentorship and host hackathons and campus events.

We love the number 12. HN stands for Hack-Nation. The power of 12 stands for 12 scouts across 12 universities, expanding our reach exponentially. A little history, and definitely not a coincidence: the first flight ever lasted only 12 seconds, and only 12 people have ever walked on the moon.

HN¹² is a spin-off of Hack-Nation, an organization founded by MIT Sloan students that runs one of the world's largest global AI hackathons. Building on the idea of enablement, Hack-Nation now also runs a venture incubator and a fund. Learn more about Hack-Nation →

Our current scouts come from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UCLA, Berkeley, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, TU Munich and ETH Zurich. Other universities are being considered, and students from universities not on this list can apply for a future batch.

You must be currently enrolled at a top university, graduating in fall 2027 or later. The program focuses on undergraduates but welcomes exceptional master's and PhD candidates. No technical background is required.

Fill out our application form any time. Apply here →

The deadline for the next cohort is announced here. Applications can be submitted any time and are reviewed on a rolling basis, so applying early is encouraged.

A compelling case is welcome. Select “Other” in the application form and explain why your campus should be included.

• Community and network builder: you have started clubs, run events and connected people.
• Storyteller: you are comfortable being the public face of what you build.
• Entrepreneurially ambitious: you find unconventional paths and see things through.
• Available: joining the two cohort trips in person is a requirement.

The program lasts six months. It starts with the Kickoff Weekend, continues with scouting, weekly mentorship, quarterly hackathons and campus events, and closes with the End of Cohort Trip.

Yes, attendance is a hard requirement. All 12 scouts meet in person at the Kickoff Weekend and again at the End of Cohort Trip. Destinations vary: the Summer 2026 Cohort went to Mexico. Flights and accommodation are covered.

Scouts attend the Kickoff Weekend and the End of Cohort Trip in person, scout exceptional talent and teams, and join the weekly 45-minute mentorship call. For the quarterly hackathons, you handle the venue and on-campus marketing; HN¹² handles the rest. We also encourage you to host two campus events in any format. The program is designed to fit around your academics.

We give you a world-class cohort of 11 peers from top universities, weekly mentorship with investors, founders and AI leaders, real skill-building in assessing potential, validating ideas and understanding team dynamics, a highly personalized experience with only 12 scouts globally, and two cohort trips.

HN¹² does not include a monthly stipend.

The Kickoff Weekend is the orientation and brings 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.

No.