- General
- January 4, 2019
- 8 minutes read
Boom Supersonic Raises $100 Million From Emerson Collective, Y Combinator Continuity And Others
Interior rendering of Proposed Boom supersonic aircraft image : Boom Supersonic Boom Supersonic has raised $100 million Series B funding…
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| Interior rendering of Proposed Boom supersonic aircraft
image : Boom Supersonic
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Boom Supersonic has raised $100 million Series B funding led by Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective with participation from Y Combinator Continuity, SV Angel, Caffeinated Capital and founders and early backers of companies including Stripe, Airbnb, Google and Dropbox to develop a Mach-2.2 commercial airliner called Overture to enable supersonic commercial travel.
Boom says it aims to make “the world’s first economically viable supersonic airliner” and “remove the barriers to experiencing the planet”. “Today, the time and cost of long-distance travel prevent us from connecting with far-off people and places. Overture fares will be similar to today’s business class— widening horizons for tens of millions of travelers. Ultimately, our goal is to make high-speed flight affordable to all.” Boom CEO Blake Scholl said.
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| XB-1 rendering
image : Boom Supersonic
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| XB-1 engine
image : Boom Supersonic
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Boom’s ambitious plan involves the assembling of a ⅓-scale manned prototype of its Mach-2.2 airliner, the XB-1 which will be tested by Chief Test Pilot Bill “Doc” Shoemaker and is set to fly later this year according to its statement. Although $100 million is an impressive raise, the development of a Mach-2.2 airliner may likely cost much more due to requirement of a large and highly talented engineering team as well as improved facilities to handle production of such.
The company has a full-time team of over 100 currently and expects to double this number this year thanks to new funding. It has also relocated to a larger facility in Centennial, Colorado to accommodate production of the XB-1 prototype.
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| Interior rendering of Proposed Boom supersonic aircraft
image : Boom Supersonic
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| Interior rendering of Proposed Boom supersonic aircraft
image : Boom Supersonic
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“Overture will be the most community- and environmentally-friendly supersonic jet ever made. Thanks to advanced aerodynamics and engines, the carbon footprint will be similar to flying international business class today. Moreover, Overture is being designed to accommodate next-generation sustainable alternative fuels. At landing and takeoff, Overture will be as quiet as the subsonic aircraft flying similar routes today.” Boom’s statement said.
Future Overture customers include Japan Airlines and the Virgin Group who have pre-ordered a combined 30 units.
