Boom Supersonic is a technology company.
Boom Supersonic is developing the world's fastest airliner, Overture, which aims to provide supersonic travel while ensuring safety and sustainability.
Boom Supersonic has raised $334.0M across 6 funding rounds.
Boom Supersonic has raised $334.0M in total across 6 funding rounds.
Boom Supersonic has raised $334.0M in total across 6 funding rounds.
Boom Supersonic's investors include American Express Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Buckley Ventures, Celesta, Conviction Partners, Cowboy Ventures, Draper Associates, Electric Capital, Fuel Capital, Greenoaks Capital, Greylock, GSV Acceleration.
# Boom Supersonic: Reviving Commercial Supersonic Flight
Boom Supersonic is an aerospace technology company developing Overture, a commercial supersonic airliner designed to make high-speed travel mainstream.[1][5] Founded in 2014 by Blake Scholl, the company aims to resurrect supersonic passenger aviation—a capability that disappeared after the Concorde was retired in 2003. Rather than pursuing government contracts, Boom has adopted a Silicon Valley venture-backed approach, raising nearly $1 billion in funding from investors including major airlines (United, American, and Japan Airlines), venture capital firms, and investment funds like ARK Invest and Altimeter Capital.[3][4]
The company serves commercial airlines seeking to offer premium, time-saving transatlantic and transpacific routes. Each Overture aircraft is projected to cost approximately $200 million, with airlines like United committing to purchase 15 aircraft with options for 35 more, and American Airlines agreeing to purchase up to 20 with options for 40 additional aircraft.[2][3] Boom's growth momentum accelerated dramatically in January 2025 when its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft achieved supersonic flight—the first time an independently developed jet (outside government programs) broke the sound barrier, validating the company's technology and approach.[2][3]
Blake Scholl founded Boom Supersonic in September 2014 after a childhood fascination with aviation evolved into an obsession with supersonic travel.[2][3][5] Growing up near Cincinnati, Ohio, Scholl's parents took him to watch small aircraft, and he later obtained a private pilot's license. The pivotal moment came when he saw the Concorde in a museum and became captivated by a fundamental question: why had supersonic travel disappeared, and how could it return?[5]
Before founding Boom, Scholl built a track record in technology and product development. He started at Amazon as a software engineer, eventually leading initiatives that generated $300 million in revenue by age 24. He later co-founded Kima Labs (acquired by Groupon in 2012) and held senior roles at Groupon before leaving to pursue aerospace.[5] After conducting several weeks of research concluding that supersonic travel was feasible, Scholl hired aerospace engineers using capital from his Kima Labs exit, and Boom became part of Y Combinator's W16 batch.[2] The company opened its first headquarters in Denver, Colorado in 2016 and began designing the XB-1 demonstrator that same year.[1]
Boom operates at the intersection of three powerful trends reshaping aerospace and transportation. First, regulatory momentum shifted dramatically in 2025 when an Executive Order lifted the 52-year ban on civil supersonic flight, and Congress introduced the Supersonic Aviation Modernization (SAM) Act, removing the primary legal barrier that had blocked commercial supersonic operations since 1973.[1] This regulatory thaw creates a narrow window for Boom to establish market leadership.
Second, climate and efficiency pressures are driving demand for faster transportation with lower per-passenger emissions. Boom's Overture promises to halve flight times on long-haul routes while using sustainable aviation fuels, appealing to airlines seeking competitive differentiation and environmental credentials.[1][5]
Third, venture capital's expansion into deep tech has enabled Boom's existence. Traditional aerospace required government funding; Boom proved that Silicon Valley's capital, talent, and operational rigor could tackle century-old engineering challenges. This model influences how the aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors attract talent and capital, signaling that venture-backed approaches can compete with legacy defense contractors.
Boom's success also validates a broader ecosystem shift: airlines are willing to pre-order unproven aircraft from startups if the technology promise is credible, fundamentally changing how aerospace innovation gets funded and commercialized.
Boom stands at an inflection point. The XB-1's January 2025 supersonic achievement transformed the company from a speculative venture into a validated technology developer. The next critical phase—2026 through 2028—will focus on completing the XB-1 flight test program (which concluded with 13 successful test flights and six supersonic runs in 2025), advancing Symphony engine development at the Colorado Air and Space Port, and beginning Overture manufacturing at the Greensboro facility.[1][4]
The company faces three decisive challenges: (1) certification, securing FAA approval for a novel aircraft type with unproven sonic boom mitigation; (2) cost control, delivering Overture at or near the $200 million target while maintaining airline profitability; and (3) environmental compliance, proving that supersonic operations meet emerging carbon and noise standards. If Boom clears these hurdles by 2030, it could launch commercial service in the early 2030s, fundamentally reshaping premium air travel and validating venture-backed aerospace as a sustainable model.
The broader implication: Boom's trajectory will determine whether the next generation of transformative infrastructure—from hypersonic transport to space tourism—gets built by startups or remains the exclusive domain of government and legacy corporations.
Boom Supersonic has raised $334.0M across 6 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $100.0M Series A in December 2024.