National Security Hackathon (by Army xTech)
Awards $50,000 in cash prizes to top teams at a national-security hackathon backed by the US Army.
Hosted by Shield Capital and Cerebral Valley with the US Army as an official RFI partner, alongside Stanford's Gordian Knot Center, Berkeley's Defense Tech Society and other military stakeholders, this is an in-person, two-day hackathon in San Francisco. Mentors and judges from the US government, military and private industry review the work, and the top 5 teams split $50,000 in cash prizes courte…
Open to builders working on command & control, sensor integration, edge compute, cybersecurity, drones and related national-security problems. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, apply and be approved to attend, and compete in teams of up to four.
Sign up free to see the funding breakdown
Sign up free to see the industries in scope
Sign up free to see the full eligibility
Sign up free to see how to apply
Sign up free to see where teams trip up
Guides for this application
All guides →Grants for Robotics Startups: SBIR, Defense, NSF, and Pilot Funding
A practical guide to grants for robotics startups, including SBIR/STTR, NSF, DoD, NASA, field validation, TRL, pilot evidence, budgets, and commercialization strategy.
DocumentsGrant Pitch Deck Example: Slides, Storyline, and Video Script
See a grant pitch deck example with slide outline, EIC-style pitch logic, demo-video script, and grant-vs-investor deck differences.
Submit & reportSAM.gov Registration and UEI Guide for Federal Grant Applicants
Learn how SAM.gov registration, UEI numbers, Grants.gov accounts, organization profiles, workspace roles, and renewal timing fit together.
BudgetIndirect Costs in Grants: Rates, MTDC, and Examples
Understand indirect costs in grants, including direct vs indirect costs, negotiated rates, de minimis rates, MTDC, funder caps, and budget narrative implications.
More from Army
All grants from this funder →Army SBIR Phase I
🇺🇸Army · United States
Funds United States Army-focused small businesses demonstrating technology feasibility for soldier and mobility needs.
Army SBIR Phase II
🇺🇸Army · United States
Supports United States Army-aligned innovators advancing validated technologies toward deployable military-ready systems.
xTech Accelerator
🇺🇸Army · United States
Offers Army xTech competition finalists mentorship and support to transition their tech, no equity taken.
xTech|Adaptive Strike
🇺🇸Army · United States
Supports drone and counter-drone innovation through prizes and demonstration pathways.
xTech|Edge Strike: Ground
Army · United States
Supports mobile power, payload, and mobility innovation through substantial competitive prize initiatives.
xTechHumanoid
Army · United States
Supports autonomous humanoid robotics efforts through prizes and potential follow-on mission contracts.
Similar grants
Browse the directory →
NIST PSCR Tech to Protect Challenge
🇺🇸NIST PSCR Division · United States
Funds entrepreneurs, companies, and technologists building public safety communications technology through a NIST PSCR open innovation prize competition.
NIST PSCR CommanDING Tech Challenge
🇺🇸NIST PSCR Division · United States
Funds innovators and companies developing incident command dashboard technology for public safety through a NIST PSCR open innovation prize competition.
NSIN Vector Cohort
🇺🇸NSIN · United States
Supports early national security ventures through a cohort-based acceleration and dual-use marketplace.
NIST PSCR First Responder UAS Challenge
🇺🇸NIST PSCR Division · United States
Funds teams and companies building unmanned aircraft system technology for first responders through NIST PSCR open innovation prize competitions.
NavalX Tech Bridges
🇺🇸Navy · United States
Connects Navy-focused innovators to regional hubs, workshops, and service users through structured networking and commercialization pathways.
Industry 4.0 Technology Implementation Grant
🇺🇸MEDC · United States
Funds Michigan small manufacturers adopting smart production technologies through shared-cost support.