HEX

Why choose HEX?

HEX exists to launch epic careers and unlock captive talent. We're creating a generation of leaders who take action to create the world they want to live in.

The rate of change in tech is exponential, but the rate of change in traditional education is kinda flat... 😬 So we hang out at the intersection of education and innovation, delivering a new kind of learning. We're all about experiences that are immersive, up-to-date, and based in the real world.

4000+ students have loved our seriously fun virtual programs, study abroad experiences and hackathon-style events. And they leave HEX with amazing confidence, skills and networks — as well as university accreditation.

Founded

2017

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Reviews

Spending two weeks in Thailand with HEX was an incredible experience that I’ll carry with me long after the program ended. Not only did we have so much fun immersing ourselves in a new culture, but we also gained deep, practical insight into how business ecosystems operate and how universities can better adapt to modern learning and real-world workforce preparation.

One of the highlights was meeting and learning directly from so many founders and CEOs who were actively building and scaling businesses. A standout moment was hearing from Dr. Polly, CEO of Jiancha, who shared how she scaled over 70 businesses in just 1.5 years, an experience that was both inspiring and eye-opening. We also met with industry professionals who helped us refine our pitching skills, teaching us how to communicate ideas with clarity, confidence, and impact.

The program challenged us to think differently about our startup ideas, particularly through hands-on tools like the Business Model Canvas and identifying risky assumptions after the ideation phase. These sessions made entrepreneurship feel tangible, structured, and achievable rather than overwhelming.

What truly set HEX apart, though, was the people. The team was unbelievably supportive, encouraging, and kind every step of the way. They created an environment where asking questions, making mistakes, and growing felt safe and empowering. I’m incredibly grateful for the guidance, energy, and care they brought to the entire experience.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?

The PITCH!! My most nerve-racking moment was delivering the final pitch. I’ve always had a fear of public speaking and am naturally very shy, so standing on stage felt completely outside my comfort zone. What helped me overcome this was the constant encouragement and belief from the HEX team and the supportive environment they fostered. Through preparation, practice, and reminding myself why I believed in my idea, I was able to push through the fear and do something I never thought I could. That moment became one of the most rewarding parts of the entire program and gave me a huge confidence boost moving forward.

Pros

Unique opportunity to experience entrepreneurship in Thailand
Direct exposure to real-world founders and business leaders
Strong personal growth in a supportive environment

Cons

Cognitive overload during later sessions
Two weeks felt rushed for building a startup
Limited time to explore the city

Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of experience we were able to create on the weeklong sprint with HEX, especially given that we were fully remote.

The staff were supportive and offered valuable feedback. We were introduced to a plethora of powerful tools and got a rapid education in entrepreneurial thinking and strategy. The content from guest speakers was good overall, and some of the guest speakers were very good. The networking opportunities are fantastic.

If I had to order the most value elements of the program, they would be:
introduction to awesome resources
excellent networking opportunities
good general entrepreneurial education

What would you improve about this program?

There should be more coordination in the lead-up to the Sprint - groups were created seemingly at random, but I think groups should be chosen intentionally, and there should be more thought devoted to developing a great idea from the start.

Well coordinated and organised. Fell in love with the content provided. Learnt a lot from this program and met amazing brains from around the world. Looking forward to attending more such programs from the organisation. Also, if there is an opportunity in future to join the organising team, would love to put my efforts from the team as it was amazing how smooth the program was carried out. Non technical issues whatsoever. Also, this helped me make new.connections on linkedin and helped me broaden my connections

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Take as much as you can from this program as this will help you in every aspect of your life.

Read my full story

Joining the Hacker Exchange Virtual 5.0 program is a direction-changing experience. Without knowing where to get started, I was invited to join the program to assist my curiosity about entrepreneur and social changes. What I have learned out of the program is how to develop a more mature being of myself and to take initiative and be focus on your values. A piece of advice I want to let future participants know is to be ready, to be inspired, fired up, and excited. You will meet others with personalities whom you won't be able to meet daily, you get to share and improve on your ideas with forwarding thinkers in the alumni group and you spend precious moments together.

What was your funniest moment?

The funniest part of the program has to be the continuous creation of memes... and never JUMP TO CONCLUSION because you will not know what the surprise will be...

The HEX 5.0 Virtual Innovation program was an experience that I will never forget! Over the course of the program, I grew as an entrepreneur and business owner learning new techniques and ways of approaching problems due to the masterclass speakers that were brought in.

Apart from the top tier speakers the actual cohort and organisers made the program spectacular. I didn't expect us to all bond as much as we did given that it was all online but the team building at the start really helped us all band together to complete all of our individual goals.

I also want to point out the organisation was flawless and at no point was I unsure of what was to come next as the itinerary was all set out from the start.

Overall the experience was phenomenal a definite 10/10 from start to finish and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to broaden their horizons.

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Programs

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Wish List

HEX

Global Innovation Program with HEX

Multiple Countries

5.00 •1 review

Join a select global cohort of students and early-stage founders to...

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Wish List

HEX

HEX 'Pro' - INNOVATION

Multiple Countries

In just 6 weeks, you'll gain high-demand skills, meet a crew of...

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

The world of Entrepreneurs has always intrigued me, and I always wanted to start my own business. There were a myriad of ideas that I had in mind but never knew where and how to start from. I was hoping this program would help me find that one idea that I could actually go forward with and help me implement as well. Not to mention the program exceeded my expectations.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

The program had provided me with almost everything that was needed and I just had to show up to the courses. The fact that due to the COVID situation, the program was organized online, the way it was handled seemed very smooth. The platforms where we could engage with the organizers and the participants were so friendly that it seemed as if everyone was in the same place even though we were in different parts of the world.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

I would ask them to show up at every event and absorb as much knowledge as possible that is being provided. A lot is covered in a weeks program which i could hardly find any organization capable of doing so , plus connect with everyone in the program as this is one of a kind chance to meet new brains from all around the world.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

It is pretty intense but very interesting and exciting as well. There are sessions that will help you build up on your ideas, guests from huge companies, talk on the recent trends and their experience working at those companies, social events, where you can connect with the participants, and finally, some time to work on your ideas with the help of mentors who are constantly available to help you. Personally, I loved every bit of it.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

The fact that the program was held online, I still feared on the fact that I will be engaging with people from all over the world and how am I going to connect with them. Well, this fear lasted just for a couple to minutes as soon as the course started because during the social events , I understood that every participant went through the same thing that I feared and lightened everyone's mood. Every participant was open minded and brilliant, infact we still keep in touch after the program, not to mention have made some amazing friends.

Write and answer your own question.

Is it worth doing this Global Innovation Sprint program considering it's only for a week?

Definitely! as the name suggests, it's a Sprint. The program will keep you engaged for almost half of your entire day and you would be excited to work on your idea. After this program, you will come out with life-changing experiences and ideas that you would wish that would have lasted long. This event will you deep into finding your business idea implementing it and finally pitch it in front of investors. This is one of a kind experience that you could use wherever you go. Not to mention again that you'll make some amazing friends during the process.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Eleanor Smith

Program

HEX | Tel Aviv

Job Title

Community Engagement Lead

Eleanor is a curious polymath with training and experience ranging from tech startups and computer science to classical music, education, language, and real estate.

As a HEX 2.1 alumnus to Tel Aviv, she loves guiding new HEXies along their own journeys of discovery. Also as a mum of 2, taking the lead and getting stuff done is second nature!

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favourite travel memory was everything about HEX 2.1 to Tel Aviv! What an incredible cultural and educational experience. It was actually life-changing for me to have my perspective opened up so much. Highlights were pitching my own startup idea to industry leaders, learning about cultural capital from Yaakov Lehman, and of course, partying in Tel Aviv!

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

There's nothing better than working with vibrant, talented people who are engaged on a mission to do something great. With The Hacker Exchange (HEX), I get this every day I'm at work.

I've rediscovered creativity and flexibility of mindset that had been largely dormant working in traditional business, not to mention gaining incredible insight into working in a thriving startup. We're always exploring new tools, relationships, and startup ideas. And it's a huge buzz every time one of our alumni launches something new that they've been inspired to work on thanks to the program.

Personal growth happens organically when you become part of this active community.

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What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

It's hard to pick just one. We've had students go on to elite incubators like StartMate and others who have been employed at industry giants like Google, Atlassian, Cisco, Microsoft — and of course, The Hacker Exchange!

At the moment, I'm loving watching the journey of one returned student who has launched a space satellite startup, bent on helping the world manage global warming extreme weather events using prolific satellite data.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I adored going to Tel Aviv because it's not only an interesting startup hub but also a rare adventure.

Tel Aviv startup culture prizes resourcefulness, creativity, and global mindset as a result of Israel's relatively small population and geographic isolation from trade partners — which Australians can learn a lot from. They also tackle similar agricultural predicaments farming swathes of desert, so anyone interested in AgTech can really learn a lot there.

Israel also has more startups per capita than anywhere else in the world, so innovation is steeped in their psyche. You can literally have an educated conversation with a random person on the street about startups — and they'll probably be able to introduce you to someone relevant to what you're trying to achieve!

But to answer the question, I'd like to go on every program, because each destination has its own flavor and insights. Silicon Valley is next on my list as the startup mecca. I've been to San Fransisco before but never with inroads into the startup ecosystem.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Steve Jobs said, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." The Hacker Exchange works in the beautiful space of bringing together different leaders and innovators, to guide them towards their goals at a formative stage of their progress. And who better to do this than a company that is effectively creating its own new genre of education — and enabling traditional tertiary education to tag along for the ride.

I'm proud of my team every time a returned student launches a new product or company or engages with the alumni community to pay it forward — because that is the culture HEX has created.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I believe the most important factor for successful companies in the 2020s is hiring great people — full of ideas and interests as well as skills — and harnessing their individual strengths. Give everyone enough support to achieve the company goals, but enough license to do it their own way and have a voice. With awesome people, this is the way to get the most out and give the most back, in terms of job satisfaction and contributing to a community purpose.