About
Ian Brooke is the founder and CEO of Astro Mechanica, a San Francisco-based aerospace startup backed by Y Combinator (W24) and investors including United Airlines Ventures, pioneering the turboelectric adaptive engine—a revolutionary hybrid-electric jet propulsion system that maintains peak efficiency across all speeds from takeoff to Mach 3+, enabling sustainable supersonic commercial flight, long-range cargo, national defense applications, and even cost-effective orbital launches via air-breathing stages. A lifelong pilot who began flying at age 16 and inspired by fighter jets like the F-15, Brooke—a University of Colorado Boulder physics graduate and serial entrepreneur with a prior successful venture—launched Astro Mechanica in 2021 to disrupt a stagnant industry, rapidly prototyping engines in months using off-the-shelf components and raising significant funding (including $27M+ rounds) to challenge incumbents like Boeing and GE. Passionately advocating for a new "Turboelectric Age" of abundant, point-to-point global mobility—shrinking transcontinental trips to hours at economy fares while slashing fuel use—he drives milestones like supersonic demonstrations targeted for 2025 and vertical integration toward building the next-generation aerospace titan.