Exosonic, Inc.
DefunctYC W20Los Angeles, US Β· Founded 2019 Β· 14 employees Β· 2 known investors
Exosonic develops supersonic unmanned aircraft for military adversary training, with plans to advance the technology toward crewed supersonic passenger aircraft. The company is building a subscale test vehicle to validate autonomous flight and human-unmanned aircraft coordination.
Also known as Exosonic Β· Inc.
Founders & leadershipΒ· Y Combinator alumni (W20)
Exosonic, Inc. was founded in 2019 by Tim MacDonald and Norris Tie.
Investors Β· 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Exosonic, Inc. was an American aerospace company founded in 2019 and headquartered in the Los Angeles, California area (Aviation Week describes the company as Torrance-based). Its stated approach was to develop supersonic uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the adversary air training mission serving both commercial and government customers, mature those UAVs into loyal wingman / collaborative combat aircraft, and use the lessons learned and profits from the UAV line to fund development of quiet, low-boom supersonic airliners capable of overland flight.
The company worked on three vehicle concepts: Horizon, a low-boom supersonic airliner designed for Mach 1.8 with roughly 70 seats and a 5,000 nautical mile range and studied with sustainable aviation fuel compatibility; Revenant, a Mach 1.2 modular, autonomous supersonic UAV intended to simulate fifth-generation threats for U.S. Air Force pilot training; and Trident (EX-3M), a subscale supersonic UAV demonstrator. Exosonic also held a U.S. Air Force contract to adapt its airliner design into a low-boom Mach 1.8 executive transport studied as a possible future supersonic Air Force One, and worked with NASA on supersonic transport concepts. Design work relied on computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel testing of scale models, and an in-house aircraft design tool suite that the company described as its core intellectual property.
Exosonic participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2020 batch. It raised more than $4.5 million in private capital and more than $2 million in U.S. Air Force / AFWERX program funding, and had a team of roughly 14-15 full-time employees. On 8 November 2024 the company announced it was winding down.
Founding story
Exosonic was founded in 2019 by Norris Tie and Tim MacDonald. Tie, an aerospace engineer with a UCLA engineering degree (2014) and a Stanford MBA (2019) and prior propulsion engineering roles at Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, served as co-founder and CEO; MacDonald contributed to early technical and operational development and is described as co-founder and chief technology officer. The company's premise was to revive efficient supersonic travel by exploiting quiet, low-boom designs compatible with revised U.S. FAA regulation.
Business model
Exosonic planned to sell supersonic UAV platforms and services to government and commercial customers for adversary air training and, later, collaborative combat aircraft roles, using revenue and technical learning from that product line to fund development of a commercial quiet supersonic airliner. Non-dilutive U.S. Air Force SBIR and AFWERX contracts funded a substantial portion of its development work alongside venture capital.
Revenue was expected from government contracts (SBIR/AFWERX awards and defense programs) and from sales of supersonic UAVs to commercial and government adversary air training customers, with eventual sales of supersonic airliners to commercial operators at fares the company targeted to be comparable with existing business-class tickets.
Traction
Exosonic raised more than $4.5 million in private capital plus more than $2 million in AFWERX/U.S. Air Force funding, secured a $1 million Air Force SBIR Phase II contract in 2020 and a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR for the Revenant UAV in 2021, completed a conceptual design review of the Horizon airliner in 2022, conducted wind tunnel testing, collaborated with NASA on supersonic transport concepts, and flew the subscale Trident demonstrator in April 2024. It nonetheless did not secure the sustained customer support or further investment required to continue operating.
Latest developments
In April 2024 Exosonic flew its subscale Trident supersonic UAV demonstrator in a subscale, subsonic configuration. On 8 November 2024 the company issued a press release announcing it was undergoing a shutdown process, stating that after more than five years it could not find the traction or customer support needed to fund further development of quiet supersonic travel and supersonic drones; employees moved on to other roles.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Exosonic was an early-stage entrant in the emerging supersonic and high-speed aircraft sector, distinguished from purely commercial supersonic ventures by its defense-first UAV strategy and its Air Force-funded supersonic executive transport study. In its shutdown announcement the company named Boom Supersonic, Hermeus, Destinus, Venus Aerospace and Spectre Aerospace as continuing participants in the super/hypersonic field. Third-party listings also compare it with companies such as Exos Aerospace, Odys Aviation and Velontra.
The company pursued a staged strategy in which defense supersonic UAVs would generate revenue and technical maturity ahead of a commercial airliner, rather than developing a passenger aircraft directly. It emphasised low-boom shaping for overland supersonic operation and, in its own account, was among very few companies to have taken a supersonic design and flown it at any scale within a comparatively small budget and timeline.
Technology
Exosonic focused on low-boom supersonic aerodynamic design intended to permit overland supersonic flight under revised U.S. FAA sonic boom rules. Work included computational fluid dynamics analysis, scale-model wind tunnel testing, subscale flight demonstrators to validate autonomy and potential crewed-uncrewed teaming, and an internally developed aircraft design tool suite the company identified as its core IP. Vehicle concepts targeted Mach 1.8 (Horizon airliner, four engines with anhedral wingtips in its final conceptual design) and Mach 1.2 (Revenant UAV), with sustainable/synthetic aviation fuel compatibility studied for the airliner.
Go-to-market
The company pursued U.S. government business development through SBIR and AFWERX programs and direct engagement with Air Force organisations such as the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate, supported by proposal writing and partnerships with suppliers and fuel producers, while building visibility through industry and mainstream press coverage of its designs and milestones.
The U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Air Force (adversary air training, aerial targets, collaborative combat aircraft and executive/presidential transport), commercial providers of adversary air training services, and ultimately commercial airlines and passengers for overland supersonic travel.
Geography
Exosonic operated in Southern California, listed as based in Los Angeles, CA (Aviation Week identifies Torrance, California; one account cites San Jose, California at founding in June 2019), with customers and programs centred on the United States.
History
Founded in 2019, Exosonic initially designed a 70-passenger Mach 1.8 airliner with 5,000 nm range and low-boom acoustics. It entered Y Combinator's Winter 2020 batch, receiving the accelerator's standard $125,000 investment and pitching at the March 2020 Demo Day. In August 2020 the U.S. Air Force's Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate awarded a $1 million SBIR Phase II contract to adapt the design into a low-boom executive transport considered as a possible supersonic Air Force One. Scale-model wind tunnel testing was under way by June 2021; the Revenant UAV design was revamped in Q2 2021 and received a Direct-to-Phase II Air Force SBIR contract on 18 October 2021, followed by a November 2021 sustainable fuel partnership with Twelve. In May 2022 the company completed a conceptual review of its quiet supersonic airliner and closed a seed round of more than $4 million. It flew the subscale Trident (EX-3M) demonstrator in April 2024 and announced its wind-down on 8 November 2024.
Risks & controversies
The company wound down in November 2024 after exhausting available funding and failing to secure further investment or sustained customer commitments, reflecting the capital intensity and long development timelines of supersonic aircraft programs and the tension between accelerator-style rapid prototyping expectations and aerospace development horizons. Reported details of its headquarters location differ between sources.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Non-dilutive funding Β· 4 SBIR/STTR awards
Federal grants β no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Air ForceAir Force | Phase II | 2023 | $1.2M |
| U.S. Air ForceAir Force | Phase II | 2021 | $750K |
| U.S. Air ForceAir Force | Phase IISTTR | 2020 | $450K |
| U.S. Air ForceAir Force | Phase ISTTR | 2019 | $25K |
Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts β non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.
Timeline Β· 7
launches, deals, and filingsExosonic announced it was undergoing a shutdown process after more than five years, citing an inability to find the traction and customer support needed to sustain its cash requirements for quiet supersonic travel and supersonic drone development. Employees departed for new roles; the company cited its aircraft design tool suite as core IP.
Exosonic flew its subscale supersonic UAV demonstrator, the Trident (EX-3M), in April 2024 in a subscale, subsonic format to validate its supersonic vehicle design work.
Exosonic announced it had completed the conceptual review of its quiet supersonic airliner alongside the close of a $4M+ seed round.
Exosonic announced a partnership with Twelve, a sustainable aviation fuel producer, to enable its supersonic jets to operate on carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.
The U.S. Air Force awarded Exosonic a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR contract to develop the low-boom Revenant supersonic UAV, a modular autonomous Mach 1.2 platform intended to simulate fifth-generation threats.
The U.S. Air Force, through the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate, awarded Exosonic a $1 million Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contract to adapt its commercial supersonic design into a low-boom, Mach 1.8 twinjet executive transport with 5,000 nm range, positioning it as a candidate for a future Air Force One.
$1M source β
Exosonic joined Y Combinator's Winter 2020 cohort, receiving $125,000 in seed funding under the accelerator's standard investment and pitching its quiet supersonic passenger jet at the March 2020 Demo Day.
$125K source β
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- Exosonic, Inc.: Developing supersonic UAVs as a pathway to quiet supersonic flight | Y Combinatorycombinator.com Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Exosonic, Inc. do?
- Exosonic was a Los Angeles aerospace startup building supersonic UAVs and a low-boom Mach 1.8 airliner; it wound down in November 2024.
- Who founded Exosonic, Inc.?
- Exosonic, Inc. was founded by Tim MacDonald, Norris Tie in 2019.
- Who are Exosonic, Inc.'s investors?
- Exosonic, Inc.'s investors include Expansion Venture Capital, Y Combinator.
- Where is Exosonic, Inc. headquartered?
- Exosonic, Inc. is headquartered in Los Angeles, US.