EP 140: Blake Scholl (Founder and CEO, Boom Supersonic) on Why Supersonic Flight Failed & How Boom is Bringing it Back
The Logan Bartlett ShowShow Notes
Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, is leading the boldest effort in decades to bring back commercial supersonic flight—this time with product-market fit. We talk about what went wrong with the world’s first try at supersonic commercial aircraft (launched in the 70s), why Boeing hasn’t introduced a new plane in over a decade, and how Blake’s startup is building a jet that flies 2x faster than today’s aircraft—without the sonic boom. This episode is a crash course in engineering ambition, regulatory dysfunction, and what it takes to defy gravity and incumbents. (00:00) Intro (00:40) The History and Evolution of Aviation (01:12) The Rise and Fall of Concorde (05:25) The Impact of Government and Founders on Innovation (08:57) Regulatory Challenges and Business Models (26:53) Boom's Vision for Supersonic Travel (47:10) Building Trust with Regulators (48:16) Challenges in the Aerospace Startup (49:36) Recruiting Talent from Unlikely Places (55:47) The Importance of Mission Success Events (01:01:52) Developing a Custom Jet Engine (01:22:54) Reindustrialization and Economic Strategy (01:34:42) Conclusion and Final Thoughts Executive Producer: Rashad Assir Producer: Leah Clapper Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky
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About the Show Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.
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