EP. 111 The Best Innovations, Don't Compromise

Ian Villa, Co-Founder, COO and CPO of Whisper Aero is changing the way we fly.  As we think about the sky above us, as a more viable option to travel, we have to think about the impacts. Noise and efficiency are one of the things that can stop the democratization of the everyday human utilizing flight.  Ian and the Whisper Aero Team are on a mission to make propulsion quieter, faster and more efficient.  Ian has always been fascinated with flight and this double degreed Stanford aero guy is living the dream, getting to build the future of propulsion.  He pulls from his experience at companies like Northrop Grumman and Uber Elevate to help inform how to build a foundation for Whisper Aero that can go the distance.  Some of the boring things are the important things for a scrappy startup. Documentation, writing product requirements and creating systems early are traits that larger companies have and he is able to infuse that mentality early at Whisper Aero.  On the other end, Ian shares that what makes Whisper Aero able to compete with the larger companies is SPEED.  His Team’s ability to react and adapt to the tech and customer needs gives them a key advantage that a larger ship (aka established company) will not be able to harness.  There are over 5,000 local/regional airports in America that are under-utilized and with the tech Ian and his Team are working on, we’ll be able to cut travel time down significantly and enjoy the open skies while we do it... not to mention, this tech even makes everyday items better, like leaf blowers.  Tech is important, but the how and why you build something is even more.  Ian shares that he learned from his time at Uber Elevate that starting with Values, Mission and Vision are paramount.  If your People don’t know where they’re going and how important integrity is to mission success, you may not reach the destination. 

Check out the Whisper Aero Team at www.whisper.aero
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