Farshad Shadloo

VP, Marketing & Communications, Hermeus

[This Week in Startups @twistartups]

The last company to start building US fighter jets from scratch showed up in the 1950s… General Dynamics. Since then? Nobody.

Everyone treats that as proof for why it CAN’T be done. Hermeus co-founder, @AJ_Piplica thinks the opposite.

It's the same bet Thiel made on SpaceX, he said you couldn’t name a US car company that won after Jeep in 1941. It’s the same signal everyone misreads.

The absence of competition isn't the risk; it's the opening. @hermeuscorp @alex

[Hermeus @hermeuscorp]

ICYMI: We flew supersonic, and @Zsshore is in his first week as CEO. He had some feedback.

Introducing “Supersonic: Overdrive Edition” 🤘

[AJ Piplica @AJ_Piplica]

something that rips you say...

[Zach Shore @Zsshore]

I wanted more fucking vibes!

[Hermeus @hermeuscorp]

Catch our new CEO, @Zsshore on @BloombergTV last week.

[Zach Shore @Zsshore]

Went on @BloombergTV to talk the defense ecosystem Quarterhorse flying supersonic, and our record @DIU_x contract.

Thanks to @BloombergTV @kaileyleinz and @JMathieuReports for having me on!

Watch here: https://t.co/vpwgya5VGW

[Zach Shore @Zsshore]

I had an awesome time with @itsmoislam on Valley of Death this week.

Take a looK!

[Farshad Shadloo @FarshadShadloo]

One of the largest contracts @DIU_x has ever awarded. The team is doing something right.

[Monica Hunter-Hart @mhunterhart]

Sam Altman and the White House celebrated this week after aviation defense startup Hermeus successfully flew a plane at supersonic speed.

Altman led the company's $100 million Series B round back in 2022.

Now Hermeus is racing towards hypersonic flight: https://t.co/g7fC0OSExI

[Farshad Shadloo @FarshadShadloo]

👇🏼

[AJ Piplica @AJ_Piplica]

this is a really important point. when we started Hermeus, there was nowhere to hire from. Nowhere did engineers get multiple reps at aircraft development in years instead of decades. They used to exist, but they're all dead now. We had to build the discipline from scratch

[Farshad Shadloo @FarshadShadloo]

We flew supersonic last week. Watch how our team built and flew the world’s first privately developed, unmanned supersonic jet - the fastest unmanned aircraft flying today. We are now the fastest company in aviation history to go from founding to supersonic flight, hitting the milestone exactly 364 days after our first aircraft's maiden flight. There's also a snake in the video.

[Hermeus @hermeuscorp]

Supersonic. Mach 1.21.

Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 is now the world’s first privately developed, unmanned supersonic jet and the fastest unmanned aircraft flying today.

This flight makes Hermeus the fastest company in aviation history to go from founding to supersonic flight - exactly 364 days after the maiden flight of our first aircraft.

Now, we fly faster.

A special thanks to @DIU_x, Director @OwenWest91, Maj. Gen. Joe "Solo" Kunkel, and Deputy Director Kyle Norman.

[Farshad Shadloo @FarshadShadloo]

👀

[Farshad Shadloo @FarshadShadloo]

Big day. @Zsshore is officially stepping up as CEO. Can you still wear a backwards cap while running a company? @AJ_Piplica (another major hat collector) moves into an operational chairman role.

[Zach Shore @Zsshore]

Honored to lead this team as CEO starting June 1.

@AJ_Piplica and I have been building toward this for a long time, and while the roles are evolving, the mission isn't: radical pursuit of high-Mach flight and building the machine that builds the machines.

Grateful for the trust, AJ. Now, back to work.

[AJ Piplica @AJ_Piplica]

Just shared this note with the team: I’m moving to the Chairman seat and @Zsshore will succeed me as the next CEO of @hermeuscorp I’ve been planning this for a while and as hard as it is as a founder to pass the reigns, I’m legit stoked for the future this move unlocks. Let's go

[Hermeus @hermeuscorp]

We’re moving our headquarters to LA with a new 65,000 square foot HQ, while our Atlanta facility shifts its focus to production.

Our new space will host engineering and corporate functions. The site sits in the cradle of American aviation, anchored between Boeing and Northrop and built on a foundation of rich aerospace history.

We’re hiring across every department. We want the people who run toward the hardest problems, especially when everyone else says to give up.

Come help us build the future of aviation: https://t.co/lCK1kwfgIA

[Farshad Shadloo @FarshadShadloo]

@khoslaventures More here: https://t.co/9zyKubrKQE

[Farshad Shadloo @FarshadShadloo]

We have closed a $350M Series C led by @khoslaventures. This puts Hermeus at a $1B valuation and gives us the runway to build the fastest aircraft in the world.

[Farshad Shadloo @FarshadShadloo]

👇

[Molly O’Shea @MollySOShea]

Ross @fubini says “There are only ~40 people in the entire US that are able to sell products to the government, period.”

"The most rarefied skill is the ability to do that effectively.. you're:

- @ssankar, Palantir
- Matt Steckman, @anduriltech
- Zach Shore, @hermeuscorp
- Scott Sanders, @ForterraDrive

You very quickly get to the end of the list."