Episode #61: Meet the Venture Reinventing Aircraft Engines
Tech Optimist Podcast — Tech, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation
In this episode of the Alumni Ventures Tech Optimist Podcast, host Drew Wandzilak interviews Ian Brooke, Founder and CEO of Astro Mechanica, about their innovative turbo-electric adaptive engine designed to revolutionize supersonic flight. Ian discusses how this technology aims to make supersonic travel more affordable and efficient, potentially transforming both commercial and defense aviation while promoting sustainable global connectivity.
Episode #61: Meet the Venture Reinventing Aircraft Engines
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In this Meet the Startup episode of the Alumni Ventures Tech Optimist Podcast, we introduce Astro Mechanica, an aerospace startup revolutionizing air travel. Drew Wandzilak, Senior Associate at Alumni Ventures, sits down with Ian Brooke, Founder and CEO of Astro Mechanica, to explore the future of supersonic flight. Ian reveals his company’s groundbreaking turbo-electric adaptive engine that promises to make supersonic travel affordable and efficient at every speed. Listeners will gain insight into how these innovations could transform both commercial and defense aviation sectors, offering on-demand, low-cost flights that could replace traditional airliners.
Watch Time ~51 minutes
The show is produced by Alumni Ventures, which has been recognized as a “Top 20 Venture Firm” by CB Insights (’24) and as the “#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the US” by Pitchbook (’22 & ’23).
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Creators and Guests
HOST
Drew Wandzilak
Senior Associate at Alumni Ventures
Drew has worked in high-growth industries as both an investor and operator, focusing on how people and technology interact within organizations. His venture experience began at AV’s Seed Fund, identifying and supporting early stage founders across a variety of industries. This experience led him to join Holistic Industries, a leading private multi-state operator of cannabis cultivation facilities and dispensaries, where he focused on business intelligence, corporate development, and M&A. Prior to rejoining AV, he worked with the founding team of Mirage, an NFT marketplace and view layer for augmented reality assets. Drew has a BS from Northwestern University in Education and Social Policy with concentrations in Learning & Organizational Change and Entrepreneurship. He is also an ambassador of Northwestern’s Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and a member of Chicago Inno’s 25 under 25.
GUEST
Ian Brooke
Founder and CEO of Astro Mechanica
Ian Brooke is the Founder and CEO of Astro Mechanica, a company developing the world’s first electric-adaptive engine, capable of delivering unmatched versatility and efficiency and suitable for everything from commercial airliners to orbital launches.
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