E153: Blake Scholl on Boom Supersonic: Learning from Elon Musk & SpaceX

Blake Scholl started with a crazy idea: bring back supersonic flight. A decade later, Boom Supersonic pre-orders from the likes of Virgin, United, and American Airlines, and is building the fastest commercial jet since the Concorde—without the sonic boom. But what looks like an inevitable success now was, at the beginning, a nearly laughable dream. In this episode, we break down how Blake went from crashing a Virgin Galactic rollout to pitching Richard Branson over breakfast, to getting a “yes” 24 hours before Y Combinator Demo Day. It’s a masterclass in high-agency entrepreneurship and building something audacious from first principles. From pitching billionaires to proving physics, from engineering emotional payoff for teams to raising capital from LPs directly, Blake unpacks how to build hard tech companies that actually work. If you’re a founder, builder, or dreamer, this one’s for you. Highlights: Crashing Richard Branson’s party (literally) — and landing Virgin’s $2B commitment 24 hours before Demo Day How Blake turned a cardboard prototype into a billion-dollar narrative The best startup pitch ever to a billionaire: “I’m not asking for money, just the first 10 planes.” Boom's first supersonic jet XB-1: how it was built, what it taught, and why it’s a game-changer Why burnout isn’t working too hard—it’s working too long without emotional payoff Boom’s path to proving “boomless” flight—and why that could unlock coast-to-coast supersonic travel How Boom raised capital by skipping VCs and going straight to LPs Why the market for supersonic flights could be bigger and more profitable than subsonic The lesson from Uber, jets, and the Beatles: when you shorten time, you grow the market Blake’s advice to hardware founders: “Don’t start with Starship. Start with Falcon 1.” -- Guest Bio: Blake Scholl is the Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, the company building the world’s fastest commercial airliner. Prior to Boom, Blake worked at Amazon and was part of the early team at Groupon. He’s raised hundreds of millions from bold investors like Reid Hoffman, Michael Moritz, and Y Combinator, and he’s built Boom into a company that could transform the future of global mobility. Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at dweisburd@gmail.com . We’d like to thank @Republic and @OldCityInvestmentPartners for sponsoring this episode! #VentureCapital #VC #Startups #OpenLP #AssetManagement -- Sponsor: Alpha on the Delta is a captivating, invitation-only alternative investment conference held during New Orleans' legendary JazzFest. Now in its third year, it brings together 150 institutional LPs, 30 leading GPs, and visionary entrepreneurs for a dynamic experience of knowledge sharing, relationship building, and cultural celebration. The carefully curated agenda features engaging panel discussions with industry leaders, facilitated 1:1 meetings, and exciting social events showcasing the vibrant spirit of New Orleans. Attendees also enjoy access to Weekend 2 of JazzFest, offering an unforgettable blend of world-class music, cuisine, and connections. With limited attendance, Alpha on the Delta fosters meaningful relationships and transformative insights in an unparalleled setting. Join us for a packed agenda spanning the Alternative Investment industry, music, and world-class cuisine. Visit http://HowIInvestDelta.com . Sponsor: Republic is the leading global investment platform making premier private market opportunities accessible to all investors. With over $3 billion deployed across its network of investment platforms, funds, and affiliated firms, Republic opens the door to new asset classes typically reserved for institutional investors such as—private equity, venture capital, and even sports teams and your favorite film producers. All securities, including the Hamilton Lane’s Private Infrastructure Fund, are offered through affiliate Republic Broker-Dealer, OpenDeal Broker LLC Member FINRA & SiPC. All securities come with specific risks not limited to a total loss of your investment. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please review the risks specific to this investment on the HLPIF deal page hosted on http://republic.com/hlpif . -- Stay Connected: X / Twitter: David Weisburd: @dweisburd Blake Scholl: @bscholl LinkedIn: David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Blake Scholl: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakescholl/ Links: Boom Supersonic: https://boomsupersonic.com/ -- Questions or topics you want us to discuss on How I Invest? Email us at dweisburd@gmail.com . (0:00) Episode preview (0:18) Efforts to repeal regulations and pitching to Richard Branson (2:23) Sales strategies, initial LOIs, and gaining credibility (3:51) Crashing Virgin Galactic's rollout and securing a deal with Richard Branson (7:48) Lessons for hardware founders, market validation, and the XB-one prototype (12:29) Overcoming technological barriers in supersonic flight (13:36) Comparison with SpaceX's incremental approach (18:22) Focusing milestones in the early years (19:23) Recruiting top talent and capital misconceptions for hardware companies (23:09) Profitability and competitive advantage in the airline industry (25:57) Regulatory landscape and supersonic flight over land (32:25) The importance of in-person meetings and future travel accessibility plans (34:06) Lessons learned from building Boom and advice for hardware entrepreneurs (39:02) Mission success events and emotional payoff (45:27) The role of ego in setting audacious goals (46:39) Timeline for Boom's supersonic jets and curating the right investor base (50:09) Closing remarks