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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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/
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Transcript
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