Investment

$32mm Series A led by a syndicate of Menlo Ventures, EVE Atlas, Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund, Connor Capital with follow-on participation by Kindred Ventures, Abstract Ventures, Moving Capital, AeroX Ventures, Cosmos Ventures, Linse Capital, LaunchTN.

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Team

Whisper Aero has assembled a world class team with past experience at NASA, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Joby Aviation, Kitty Hawk, Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls Royce.

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Many on the team have earned advanced degrees from top tier universities like MIT, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and others.

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Mark and Ian were able to recruit top tier talent like Devon Jedamski, the team’s Chief Engineer, who brings Propulsion and Air Vehicle experience from Northrop Grumman Advanced Design, Rolls Royce, and the MIT Gas Turbine Lab

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Whisper’s mission & vision

Mission: Delivering the next generation of cleaner, quieter, more efficient thrust for drones, aircraft, and more.

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Vision: Lead the electric jet age

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Tech

We fundamentally questioned how electricity should be converted to thrust.  Whisper’s propulsor is a next-generation electric ducted fan unlike any other. Every component has been carefully considered with ultra low noise and efficiency from the beginning.

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Most companies only think about designing for low noise by reducing disk loading and tip speed with a willingness to sacrifice efficiency. We never accepted this premise.

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Truly designing for low noise means examining all of the sources of noise critically and then tailoring each source’s acoustical content to the way that humans hear so that it can blend in seamlessly into the soundscapes of our everyday lives.

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At Whisper we look at each of these sources and both minimize their overall impact (amplitude) and tune the tones (frequencies) for a more pleasant overall experience for humans and pets. Some of these tones we are even able to move into the ultrasonic, past the realm of human hearing. 

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Going back to first principles, noise is energy. So reducing noise, reduces energy consumption and improves overall efficiency. This means the technologies integrated across the propulsor not only allow for ultra low noise, but also more than 20% improvements in efficiency when compared to other ducted fans.

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Isolating all of the sources of noise, moving the most annoying components outside the most sensitive areas of human hearing, and keeping tip speeds incredibly low is the real trick Whisper has solved with clever engineering and advanced computational design techniques.

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Proof points

Whisper started with a 10 lbf demonstrator propulsor that has been statically tested and flown on a 55 lbm drone to test performance and noise across the envelope.

Whisper’s already iterated the design through nine generations and exceeded its performance expectations within its first nine months. Whisper went from napkin sketch to flying demonstrator in eight months.

Whisper has independently reviewed and validated its findings through six DoD contracts and agreements worth $2.2mm in total with participation from the US Air Force, US Special Operations Command, and the US Army.

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Applications

Ultimately, Whisper aims to scale this tech up and down for multiple aerospace applications. It’s starting with higher DoD propulsors for now for drones that may fly as early as this year.

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Whisper is aiming to weave its tech into the fabric of our everyday lives for a future that’s as considerate as it’s compelling. As they continue to innovate, they even see their tech layering into commercial aircraft and consumer leaf blowers.