logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
1h 27m

Boom: Supersonic speeds for everyday tra...

Jason Calacanis
About this episode

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at https://www.vanta.com/twist

Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist

*

Todays show:

Boom Supersonic’s Blake Scholl joins Jason to discuss the future of supersonic flight (1:18), Boom's vision and test flights (9:25), the evolution of hardware startups (22:29), the future of autonomous aviation (1:17:06), and much more!

*

Timestamps:

(0:00) Boom Supersonic’s Blake Scholl joins Jason

(1:18) Commercial flight speed & Concorde history

(8:34) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(9:25) Boom's XB-1 test flights and airline partnerships

(15:04) Pricing, market comparison, and venture capital's view on hardware startups

(21:16) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(22:29) Evolution of startup market and hardware innovation

(29:03) Boeing's innovation decline and attracting talent to projects

(36:15) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist

(37:42) Working with tech legends and overcoming engine design challenges

(49:14) Cross-discipline innovation

(57:01) Learning from Air France 447 and cockpit safety design

(1:03:36) Cockpit technologies and the MH370 mystery

(1:11:30) Public perception of aviation risks and airport security impact

(1:17:06) The future of autonomous aviation

*

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

*

Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

*

Follow Blake:

X: https://x.com/bscholl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakescholl

Check out: https://boomsupersonic.com / https://x.com/boomaero

*

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

*

Thank you to our partners:

(8:34) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(21:16) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(36:15) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist

*

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

*

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

*

Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

*

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Up next
Today
Cloud Seeding, Conspiracies & the Texas Floods | BONUS EPISODE!
Today’s show:Cloud seeding startup Rainmaker faced a viral backlash after deadly floods in Texas—so @Jason hosted an emergency X Spaces with founder Augustus Doricko to unpack what really happened. Did Rainmaker cause the floods? How much water can cloud seeding actually produce? ... Show More
26m 4s
Jul 7
Exits Are Back, QSB Stock & The New America Party? | E2148
Today’s show:Startup exits are heating up with $67.7B in Q2 activity, QSBS just got a major expansion, and Robinhood is pushing boundaries with tokenized SPVs. In this episode, @Jason and @alex break down what it all means for founders and investors, plus the rise of Elon’s “Amer ... Show More
1h 7m
Jul 2
Startup Valuations, Biotech’s Crunch & AI’s Massive TAM | E2147
Today’s show:It’s another blockbuster panel of insiders, as Alex sits down with Astasia Myers from Felicis, Matt Turck from First Mark Capital, and D.A. Wallach of Time BioVentures. AI is reshaping early-stage investing, with startups raising record-setting rounds adn chasing $10 ... Show More
1h 16m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
Tech CEO on the Future of Travel & Technology w/ Adam Goldstein | EP #82
In this episode, Peter and Adam discuss the future of transportation, when we’ll have flying cars, and how vehicle technology will evolve in the coming years.  17:28 | Ready for the Driverless Sky? 30:17 | The Future of Urban Transportation 1:03:23 | Disrupting the Aerospace Indu ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2024
Insiders React: SpaceX’s Big Win + Kamala Backs Crypto, Dubai’s Tech Rise, Replit AI Changes Coding
What if you could build and deploy a full app in minutes, without writing a single line of code? In this episode, Chris Saad and Ray Dargham, Co-Founder and CEO at Step, discuss the latest tech news shaping the future for founders and investors.  From crypto policy shifts to grou ... Show More
51m 44s
Sep 2024
Cyber Security Trends and Tips
Join us on the latest episode of Aviation Tech Talks with host, Jim Boccarossa, as we soar into the world of aviation technology! In this episode, we dive deep into the crucial topic of cybersecurity with expert guest, Sagar Pandya, co-founder of Middle Ground Technologies. Disco ... Show More
31m 27s
Jul 2024
Shifts in Aviation Aftermarket Technology
Join us for an engaging conversation with David Bettenhausen, the founder and CEO of Aerotrax Technologies. David and Jim reconnect after meeting on a panel discussing digitization in the supply chain. David shares insights into his background, having launched Aerotrax from his V ... Show More
35m 46s
Nov 2024
Can this AI Chip Startup Beat NVIDIA? (Spotlight)
Is it possible for a startup to compete with NVIDIA, the $1 trillion behemoth dominating AI hardware? Thomas Sohmers and his team at Positron are betting they can and they're moving at lightning speed to prove it. In this episode, Chris Saad sits down with Thomas Sohmers, founder ... Show More
44m 55s
Aug 2024
Gavin Baker - AI, Semiconductors, and the Robotic Frontier - [Invest Like the Best, EP.385]
My guest this week is Gavin Baker. Gavin is the managing partner and CIO of Atreides Management, and he has been on the show many times before. He is one of my favorite investors to talk to and this may be my favorite conversation with him. Gavin first started covering Nvidia as ... Show More
1h 31m
May 4
Inside Devin: The world’s first autonomous AI engineer that's set to write 50% of its company’s code by end of year | Scott Wu (CEO and co-founder of Cognition)
Scott Wu is the co-founder and CEO of Cognition, the company behind Devin—the world’s first autonomous AI software engineer. Unlike other AI coding tools, Devin works like an autonomous engineer that you can interact with through Slack, Linear, and GitHub, just like with a remote ... Show More
1h 32m
Jul 2024
What Are the Newest Innovations
In our latest episode, we welcome Dr. Ip-Shing Fan from Cranfield University, a leading expert in digital MRO and aviation transformation. Dr. Fan shares his journey from industrial engineering to aviation, highlighting the exciting developments at Cranfield, including their pion ... Show More
32m 36s
Jan 2025
Inside Gong: How teams work with design partners, their pod structure, autonomy, trust, and more | Eilon Reshef (co-founder and CPO)
Eilon Reshef is the co-founder and chief product officer at Gong, one of the most ubiquitous B2B products in the world. In our conversation, we discuss:• Gong’s unique approach to working with design partners• Their unique pod model• Why Eilon makes big decisions quickly• Lessons ... Show More
56m 42s
Mar 2025
Building Lovable: $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people | Anton Osika (CEO and co-founder)
Anton Osika is the co-founder and CEO of Lovable, which is building what they call “the last piece of software”—an AI-powered tool that turns descriptions into working products without requiring any coding knowledge. Since launching three months ago, Lovable hit $4 million ARR in ... Show More
1h 9m