NSIN (National Security Innovation Network)
Defense & Space · Run by Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), U.S. Department of Defense · Arlington, VA
Every field is checked against a primary source where we can. How we verify.
The facts
All fields verified Jul 22, 2026- Terms model
- Non-dilutiveGives money that does not take equity: grants, prizes, or credits. Your ownership is untouched.
- Investment
- Not publishedDoD program office (formerly MD5) under DIU running collaboration and acceleration programs (Hacking for Defense, boot camps, venture programs) with non-dilutive support. No investment amounts published. Current programming could not be verified: nsin.mil homepage carried no program or deadline content when fetched, and no cohort announcements post-DIU restructuring (2024) were found, so status is marked possibly_inactive pending confirmation.
- Equity taken
- Not publishedDoD program office (formerly MD5) under DIU running collaboration and acceleration programs (Hacking for Defense, boot camps, venture programs) with non-dilutive support. No investment amounts published. Current programming could not be verified: nsin.mil homepage carried no program or deadline content when fetched, and no cohort announcements post-DIU restructuring (2024) were found, so status is marked possibly_inactive pending confirmation.
- Program length
- Not published
- Format
- Hybrid
- Location
- Arlington, VA
- Cohorts per year
- Not published
- Cohort size
- Not published
- Stage focus
- early-stage ventures, academic teams
- Sub-vertical
- national security venture/talent programs
- Demographic focus
- Not published
- Backers
- U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Innovation Unit
- Notable alumni
- Not published
Terms notes: DoD program office (formerly MD5) under DIU running collaboration and acceleration programs (Hacking for Defense, boot camps, venture programs) with non-dilutive support. No investment amounts published. Current programming could not be verified: nsin.mil homepage carried no program or deadline content when fetched, and no cohort announcements post-DIU restructuring (2024) were found, so status is marked possibly_inactive pending confirmation.
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Terms in plain English
NSIN (National Security Innovation Network) is a Department of Defense program office under the Defense Innovation Unit, not an investor. Historically it ran collaboration and acceleration programs such as Hacking for Defense, Foundry, Forge, and boot camps that connected ventures and academic teams with defense problem owners, with non-dilutive support and no equity taken. It has never published investment amounts, and it does not write checks into companies. Its current program lineup could not be verified, so treat any specific offering as unconfirmed until NSIN or a partner announces it.
Who this is actually for
Historically served very early ventures, students, and academic teams looking for a structured entry point into defense problem sets rather than funding. Given the program's uncertain status, founders should verify directly that a specific NSIN program is accepting applications before planning around it.
Application windows
No application window is on record for this program yet. Check the official website for the next cohort.
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Sources
Everything above was checked against these, verified Jul 22, 2026.