Blake Scholl
Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, the company he founded in 2014 to develop high-speed commercial aircraft, including the Overture supersonic airliner. Previously held leadership roles at Amazon and Groupon and co-founded Kima Labs.
Boom Plans to Finance Supersonic Flight With Data Center Power
Boom Supersonic founder Blake Scholl argues that the company’s engine program can finance and de-risk its planned Mach 1.7 airliner by first supplying trailerized, behind-the-meter power to AI data centers. After losing its intended engine supplier, Boom chose to develop and manufacture its own turbine core; Scholl says that same core can generate 42 megawatts in a stationary configuration while accumulating operating time before it flies on Overture. His broader case is that vertically integrated manufacturing, boomless overland cruise and a roughly $3,500 transatlantic break-even fare can make commercial supersonic service viable again.
Mach Cut-Off Evidence Opened a Path for Overland Supersonic Flight
Boom Supersonic founder Blake Scholl argues that startups can take on industries long dominated by governments and large contractors by turning their constraints into testable problems. He points to Boom’s XB-1 demonstrator, whose supersonic flights were used to reframe US overland-flight rules, and to the company’s effort to own more of its design, manufacturing and testing loop. The broader case is that ambitious hardware requires repeated proof points, not a single leap of faith.