Blake Scholl: How 50 People Built a Supersonic Jet

In 1969, we landed on the moon and flew Concorde. Half a century later, we could do neither. Blake Scholl founded Boom Supersonic (YC W16), the startup building America’s first supersonic airliner, to change that. At Startup School 2026, he shares how a cardboard mockup with Office Depot seats became XB-1, the first independently developed jet to break the sound barrier, and why founders have to build for both the worst day and the best day. He also answers founder questions about teaching yourself hard things, breaking into hardware without the right resume, and finding work-life harmony while building something ambitious. Transcript: https://www.ycrootaccess.com/p/blake-scholl-the-future-was-supposed Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs Chapters: 00:00 — Intro 00:08 — Why the Future Stopped Moving Faster 03:14 — Why I Started Boom Supersonic 05:57 — Building a Supersonic Jet From Scratch 08:33 — The Worst Day and the Best Day 10:14 — How We Changed US Law 11:36 — How 50 People Built a Supersonic Jet 15:05 — Designing Hardware Like Software 17:54 — Financing a Multi-Billion-Dollar Startup 19:30 — Great Ideas Are Hiding in Plain Sight 24:05 — How AI Is Changing Hardware 27:16 — Working With Regulators 30:55 — Build Something You Love 36:27 — How to Build Confidence 39:35 — Learning Hard Things From First Principles 44:17 — When Should You Start a Company?