BOOM SUPERSONIC

Blake Scholl was an entrepreneur and former Amazon engineer who was frustrated that air travel had not gotten faster since the 1960s. Concorde proved supersonic was possible but it was too expensive, too loud, and too polluting.

Scholl founded Boom in 2014 with the thesis that modern materials, engine technology, and aerodynamics could solve all three problems. Y Combinator backed them in 2016.

They built XB-1, a one-third-scale demonstrator aircraft, which flew for the first time in March 2024.

Boom is building Overture, a supersonic commercial airliner that will carry 65-80 passengers at Mach 1.7 (1,300 mph) — twice the speed of current jets. New York to London in 3.5 hours instead of 7.

Revenue will come from selling aircraft to airlines. They have $8+ billion in pre-orders from American Airlines (20 aircraft), United Airlines (15), and Japan Airlines.

Overture will run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Overture (Mach 1.7 supersonic airliner, 65-80 passengers), XB-1 (demonstrator aircraft), Symphony (proprietary engine program), 100% SAF compatible

Complete XB-1 test flight program. Build and fly the full-size Overture prototype.

Achieve FAA certification. Deliver the first aircraft to United Airlines.

Scale production at their factory in Greensboro, North Carolina. Prove that supersonic flight can be economically viable at scale.

Actually building and certifying a supersonic airliner is one of the hardest engineering challenges in the world. The full-size Overture has not flown yet.

Engine selection was delayed (they switched from a partnership with Rolls-Royce to developing their own Symphony engine). FAA certification will take years.

And even with $8 billion in pre-orders, delivering the aircraft profitably is a completely unsolved problem.

American Express Ventures, Y Combinator, Emerson Collective, NEA, Caffeinated Capital