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At the Long-Term Stock Exchange, we are dedicated to creating a world where businesses are empowered to achieve lasting impact and long-term prosperity.
To foster meaningful conversations, we curate conversations from an ecosystem of leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries.
The Eric Ries Show, a podcast produced by Founder and Chair of LTSE Services, Eric Ries, reflects our mission.
The show features thought-provoking conversations with world-class technologists, thought leaders, executives, and others who are working to create a new ecosystem of organizations committed to growth with purpose.
To foster meaningful conversations, we curate conversations from an ecosystem of leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries.
The Eric Ries Show, a podcast produced by Founder and Chair of LTSE Services, Eric Ries, reflects our mission.
The show features thought-provoking conversations with world-class technologists, thought leaders, executives, and others who are working to create a new ecosystem of organizations committed to growth with purpose.
Disclaimer: Information contained in this podcast was obtained in part from publicly available sources (including the Eric Ries Show) and not independently verified. The Long-Term Stock Exchange and its affiliated companies do not make any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information and do not sponsor, approve, or endorse any of the content herein, all of which is presented solely for informational and educational purposes. Nothing herein constitutes an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy any security, or a recommendation of any security or trading practice.
Some portions of the podcast may have been edited for the purpose of length or clarity.
From the Eric Ries Show:
The pitch that changed air travel forever: $3B in preorders, Richard Branson’s backing, and the return of supersonic flight | Blake Scholl (Boom Supersonic)
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What does it take to challenge a century-old status quo in aviation? In this episode of The Eric Ries Show, I sit down with Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, a company on a mission to bring back supersonic air travel—sustainably and affordably.
Blake doesn’t come from aerospace. He’s a computer scientist and former Amazon engineer who sold his startup, Kima Labs, to Groupon. What he does have is a clear mission, first principles thinking, and relentless execution. His story is a case study in how deep curiosity and iterative learning can outperform traditional credentials.
In our conversation, we explore how to navigate high-uncertainty environments, challenge industry inertia, and build world-class teams to do the seemingly impossible.
We cover:
• The “bystander effect” in innovation—and how to avoid it
• Why trying to disprove your idea is a founder's superpower
• The edge of understanding when the context changes
• The accidental pivot: How Boomless cruise came about
• Blake’s “confusion list,” a practice to gain clarity
• Why deep knowledge trumps credentials
• How Blake leveraged Wikipedia and SeatGuru to understand how the Concorde failed
• Boom's methodical approach to derisking each challenge
• The "talent distillery"—Boom's framework for building exceptional teams
• Tips for giving and asking for advice
• How Boom uses AI to cut through the minutia and do more with less
• Why accumulated learnings are a company's greatest asset
• And more!
—
Brought to you by:
• Gusto – Gusto is an easy payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. Get 3 months free.
—
Where to find Blake Scholl :
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakescholl/
—
Where to find Eric:
• Newsletter: https://ericries.carrd.co/
• Podcast: https://ericriesshow.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theericriesshow
—
In This Episode We Cover:
(00:00) Intro
(02:43) How Boom is bringing back building commercial aircraft in the US
(04:30) The bystander effect in innovation
(07:30) The power of founder happiness and taking big bets
(12:10) How Blake shifted from building an airline to building a supersonic company
(14:07) Blake’s focus on first principles thinking
(16:17) How boomless cruise came about, and other accidental discoveries
(23:50) Blake’s practical exercise for gaining clarity
(25:15) Boom’s origin story
(31:10) How taking a bigger risk made Blake more comfortable with failure
(32:24) A case for entrepreneurship as a truth-seeking discipline
(33:47) How a founder’s deep understanding builds trust
(38:20) Why Concorde failed, and how Boom solved for those problems
(44:36) Boom’s plan for derisking each risk
(47:33) How Boom was able to get Richard Branson on board with pre-ordering for Virgin
(52:24) Boom’s relaunch after getting Virgin’s pre-order
(56:00) How Blake focuses on the end state
(59:22) The importance of aptitude and willingness to learn
(1:01:34) Why building a team was the hardest part for Boom
(1:06:32) Tips for getting better advice–and receiving it
(1:09:40) How Boom maintains mission alignment working with outside vendors
(1:14:04) Boom’s learnings from working with suppliers
(1:19:35) The current status of Boom
(1:20:57) How Boom uses AI to help with FAA certification and more
(1:23:00) The size of teams at Boom, and how using AI enables them to have less engineers
—
You can find episode references at https://www.ericriesshow.com/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ .
Eric may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Show Notes
What does it take to challenge a century-old status quo in aviation? In this episode of The Eric Ries Show, I sit down with Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, a company on a mission to bring back supersonic air travel—sustainably and affordably.
Blake doesn’t come from aerospace. He’s a computer scientist and former Amazon engineer who sold his startup, Kima Labs, to Groupon. What he does have is a clear mission, first principles thinking, and relentless execution. His story is a case study in how deep curiosity and iterative learning can outperform traditional credentials.
In our conversation, we explore how to navigate high-uncertainty environments, challenge industry inertia, and build world-class teams to do the seemingly impossible.
We cover:
• The “bystander effect” in innovation—and how to avoid it
• Why trying to disprove your idea is a founder's superpower
• The edge of understanding when the context changes
• The accidental pivot: How Boomless cruise came about
• Blake’s “confusion list,” a practice to gain clarity
• Why deep knowledge trumps credentials
• How Blake leveraged Wikipedia and SeatGuru to understand how the Concorde failed
• Boom's methodical approach to derisking each challenge
• The "talent distillery"—Boom's framework for building exceptional teams
• Tips for giving and asking for advice
• How Boom uses AI to cut through the minutia and do more with less
• Why accumulated learnings are a company's greatest asset
• And more!
—
Brought to you by:
• Gusto – Gusto is an easy payroll and benefits software built for small businesses. Get 3 months free.
—
Where to find Blake Scholl :
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakescholl/
—
Where to find Eric:
• Newsletter: https://ericries.carrd.co/
• Podcast: https://ericriesshow.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theericriesshow
—
In This Episode We Cover:
(00:00) Intro
(02:43) How Boom is bringing back building commercial aircraft in the US
(04:30) The bystander effect in innovation
(07:30) The power of founder happiness and taking big bets
(12:10) How Blake shifted from building an airline to building a supersonic company
(14:07) Blake’s focus on first principles thinking
(16:17) How boomless cruise came about, and other accidental discoveries
(23:50) Blake’s practical exercise for gaining clarity
(25:15) Boom’s origin story
(31:10) How taking a bigger risk made Blake more comfortable with failure
(32:24) A case for entrepreneurship as a truth-seeking discipline
(33:47) How a founder’s deep understanding builds trust
(38:20) Why Concorde failed, and how Boom solved for those problems
(44:36) Boom’s plan for derisking each risk
(47:33) How Boom was able to get Richard Branson on board with pre-ordering for Virgin
(52:24) Boom’s relaunch after getting Virgin’s pre-order
(56:00) How Blake focuses on the end state
(59:22) The importance of aptitude and willingness to learn
(1:01:34) Why building a team was the hardest part for Boom
(1:06:32) Tips for getting better advice–and receiving it
(1:09:40) How Boom maintains mission alignment working with outside vendors
(1:14:04) Boom’s learnings from working with suppliers
(1:19:35) The current status of Boom
(1:20:57) How Boom uses AI to help with FAA certification and more
(1:23:00) The size of teams at Boom, and how using AI enables them to have less engineers
—
You can find episode references at https://www.ericriesshow.com/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ .
Eric may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Disclaimer
The information is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular security or an overall investment strategy. Information about the company is provided by the company, or comes from the companies’ public filings and is not independently verified by LTSE. Neither LTSE nor any of its affiliates makes any recommendation to buy or sell any security or any representation about the financial condition of any company. Statements regarding LTSE-listed companies are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should undertake their own due diligence and carefully evaluate companies before investing. Advice from a securities professional is strongly advised.
Curated Conversations
