Podcast Summary: How I Invest with David Weisburd – Episode E153: Blake Scholl on Boom Supersonic: Learning from Elon Musk & SpaceX

Host: David Weisburd
Guest: Blake Scholl, Founder of Boom Supersonic
Release Date: April 8, 2025
Title: E153: Blake Scholl on Boom Supersonic: Learning from Elon Musk & SpaceX

Introduction

In episode E153 of "How I Invest with David Weisburd," host David Weisburd engages in a comprehensive discussion with Blake Scholl, the visionary founder of Boom Supersonic. The conversation delves into the ambitious journey of building a supersonic jet company, drawing parallels with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Scholl shares valuable insights on overcoming regulatory challenges, securing pivotal partnerships, assembling a world-class team, developing prototypes, and maintaining momentum in pursuit of transforming air travel.

Boom Supersonic’s Mission and Challenges

Blake Scholl articulates Boom Supersonic’s mission to revive and revolutionize supersonic travel, making flights faster, more affordable, and accessible. He likens the challenges faced by the startup to battling a severe illness, emphasizing the resilience and dedication required to pursue such an audacious goal.

Quote:
"We have days where I look at a problem and it feels like the startup equivalent of a cancer diagnosis."
— Blake Scholl [00:58]

Regulatory Hurdles and Advocacy

A significant obstacle for Boom Supersonic has been navigating and amending outdated regulations that prohibit supersonic flight over land due to sonic boom concerns. Scholl recounts the strategic efforts to engage with regulatory bodies, including an influential interaction with Elon Musk that led to meetings with the White House. This advocacy aimed to repeal restrictive Federal Aviation Regulation Part 91.817, enabling supersonic flights across continents.

Quote:
"We're asking if you want the first 10 of these to have a Virgin logo on the tail."
— Blake Scholl [00:51]

Securing Key Partnerships: The Virgin Connection

One of Boom’s pivotal moments was securing an endorsement from Richard Branson’s Virgin. Scholl narrates how presenting a tangible model painted in Virgin colors and seeking Virgin’s market validation—not financial investment—led to Virgin committing to the first ten jets. This endorsement transformed Boom’s prospects from potential obscurity to a credible contender in the aerospace industry.

Quote:
"We're not asking for your money. We're asking for you to say that you want the product."
— Blake Scholl [00:51]

Developing the Prototype: XB1

Scholl discusses the development of Boom’s prototype, XB1, a scaled-down version designed to test supersonic flight feasibility. Drawing inspiration from SpaceX’s Falcon 1, XB1 serves as a proof of concept to demonstrate reliable supersonic performance without incurring excessive costs. This approach aimed to mitigate both market and technology risks by utilizing proven technologies.

Quote:
"We took our initial idea of what the overture airliner would be, shrank it down to one third scale, and we said, let's go, design, build, fly, learn."
— Blake Scholl [09:58]

Mission Success Events and Maintaining Momentum

To sustain team motivation and prevent burnout during long-term projects, Boom implemented "mission success events"—incremental milestones celebrated regularly. Scholl emphasizes the importance of creating regular emotional payoffs to maintain high morale and ensure continuous progress toward the overarching mission.

Quote:
"We chunked down the work such that there was one major milestone about every month and we'd work really hard for that milestone and then the whole company would celebrate it."
— Blake Scholl [39:02]

Pragmatism in Design and Development

A key lesson learned was the necessity of pragmatism in engineering a practical supersonic jet. Initially targeting Mach 2.2, Scholl realized the technical and cost implications were too burdensome and scaled back to Mach 1.7. This decision balanced performance with feasibility, allowing Boom to progress without being bogged down by overly ambitious design parameters.

Quote:
"We backed off on speed from Mach 2.2 to 1.7, which is really about a 15-minute difference in a flight time across the Atlantic, but a dramatic difference in the challenge of the airplane."
— Blake Scholl [37:17]

Building a World-Class Team

Scholl highlights the importance of attracting top-tier talent through a compelling mission and strategic hiring. By leveraging his network and showcasing the viability of the project, he successfully assembled a team of skilled engineers and industry experts committed to Boom’s vision.

Quote:
"Great people are magnets for great people."
— Blake Scholl [21:09]

Investor Relations and Funding Strategy

Recognizing the mismatch between traditional venture capital dynamics and Boom’s long-term, capital-intensive needs, Scholl opted to bypass VCs and engage directly with limited partners (LPs) and special purpose vehicles (SPVs). This approach provided a more suitable funding mechanism aligned with Boom’s objectives and timeline.

Quote:
"We realized VCs aren't... money managers and their customers are LPs and other things have been successful and like none of those things were part of our business."
— Blake Scholl [47:55]

Vision for the Future: Impact on Business and Society

Scholl envisions supersonic travel significantly impacting business and society by increasing global connectivity, enhancing business interactions, and stimulating economic activities. He draws parallels to the jet age’s transformative effect on travel to Hawaii, highlighting the potential for magnifying effects on innovation and global collaboration.

Quote:
"The second and third order effects of more world travel... are gigantic. History shows that when you speed up travel at a price point that a market can afford, demand skyrockets."
— Blake Scholl [29:20]

Lessons and Advice for Entrepreneurs

Blake emphasizes the importance of breaking down large goals into manageable, meaningful milestones and maintaining a pragmatic approach to product development. He advises hardware entrepreneurs to de-risk projects by separating market and technology risks, ensuring early customer validation, and fostering a strong, mission-driven team culture.

Quote:
"Always challenge, always challenge the requirements, always challenge what you're setting out to do and ruthlessly try to simplify."
— Blake Scholl [37:04]

Conclusion and Roadmap

Looking ahead, Boom aims to have its full-scale supersonic airplane ready for passengers by the end of 2029. Scholl outlines a clear development path inspired by successful methodologies, emphasizing the importance of incremental progress and leveraging modern digital tools to streamline the engineering process.

Quote:
"We want to be ready for passengers by the end of 2029... we just had a design freeze. The outer lines of the airplane are frozen."
— Blake Scholl [46:48]

Notable Quotes

• Blake Scholl [00:58]: "We have days where I look at a problem and it feels like the startup equivalent of a cancer diagnosis."
• Blake Scholl [00:51]: "We're not asking for your money. We're asking for you to say that you want the product."
• Blake Scholl [09:58]: "We took our initial idea of what the overture airliner would be, shrank it down to one third scale, and we said, let's go, design, build, fly, learn."
• Blake Scholl [39:02]: "We chunked down the work such that there was one major milestone about every month and we'd work really hard for that milestone and then the whole company would celebrate it."
• Blake Scholl [37:17]: "We backed off on speed from Mach 2.2 to 1.7, which is really about a 15-minute difference in a flight time across the Atlantic, but a dramatic difference in the challenge of the airplane."
• Blake Scholl [21:09]: "Great people are magnets for great people."
• Blake Scholl [47:55]: "We realized VCs aren't... money managers and their customers are LPs and other things have been successful and like none of those things were part of our business."
• Blake Scholl [29:20]: "The second and third order effects of more world travel... are gigantic. History shows that when you speed up travel at a price point that a market can afford, demand skyrockets."
• Blake Scholl [37:04]: "Always challenge, always challenge the requirements, always challenge what you're setting out to do and ruthlessly try to simplify."
• Blake Scholl [46:48]: "We want to be ready for passengers by the end of 2029... we just had a design freeze. The outer lines of the airplane are frozen."

Insights and Conclusions

Blake Scholl’s journey with Boom Supersonic exemplifies the fusion of audacious vision and pragmatic execution. By strategically addressing regulatory barriers, securing influential partnerships, fostering a mission-driven team, and adopting a methodical approach to product development, Boom is poised to redefine air travel. Entrepreneurs can draw valuable lessons from Scholl’s emphasis on breaking down monumental goals into achievable milestones, mitigating risks through early validation, and cultivating a resilient, motivated organizational culture.

Scholl’s approach mirrors that of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, highlighting the effectiveness of setting high-impact goals while maintaining flexibility and practicality in execution. The anticipation of Boom’s supersonic jets underscores a potential paradigm shift in global mobility, with far-reaching implications for business, society, and the broader ecosystem of innovation.

For more insights and updates on Boom Supersonic, follow Blake Scholl on Twitter @xol and stay tuned to future episodes of "How I Invest with David Weisburd."