Denver, Colorado – Boom Supersonic, the company aiming to reintroduce commercial supersonic flight, recently closed a $300 million funding round led by Darsana Capital Partners in December 2025. This significant investment is coupled with a strategic pivot into the energy sector, as the company announced a $1.25 billion backlog for its new "Superpower" natural gas turbines designed for AI data centers. This development marks a notable shift from previous funding challenges, as observed by Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham.
Graham, an early investor in Boom, noted the company's past difficulties in securing capital, stating in a recent tweet, > "Boom always used to have hard time raising money. Investors are terrified of funding anything that's not like existing hot startups. And now, after 10 years of lean times, I'm getting unsolicited offers to buy Boom shares. It's so great." This sentiment underscores a significant turnaround in investor confidence. The new funding round also saw participation from Altimeter Capital, ARK Invest, Bessemer Venture Partners, Robinhood Ventures, and Y Combinator.
Boom Supersonic, founded in 2014, is developing the Overture supersonic airliner, which has an order book of 130 aircraft from carriers like American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines. The company's XB-1 demonstrator jet successfully completed its first supersonic flight in January 2025, reaching Mach 1.122, a key milestone for the program. This demonstrator is the first independently developed civil supersonic jet to break the sound barrier.
The Superpower turbine, a 42-megawatt natural gas unit, shares 80% of its core technology with the Symphony engine intended for the Overture. Boom CEO Blake Scholl indicated that profits from the Superpower sales will directly fund the continued development and certification of the Overture aircraft. Crusoe, an AI infrastructure leader, has been announced as the launch customer for the Superpower turbines, ordering 29 units to power its data centers.
This strategic move aims to provide a more immediate revenue stream and accelerate the Overture's path to market by leveraging shared engine technology. The company plans to scale its total turbine production to over four gigawatts annually by 2030. This approach reflects a pragmatic effort to navigate the capital-intensive nature of aerospace development while capitalizing on the booming demand for AI infrastructure.
