The aviation industry is struggling to meet rapidly growing aircraft demand while manufacturing costs remain higher than ever.
Where the industry falls short:
Outdated Processes: For six decades, costly aircraft production processes have remained unchanged, with minimal technological advancements.
Unsustainable Infrastructure: The industry’s supply base and factory lines are strained to capacity, and manufacturers can’t afford to expand.
This week’s company is building the next generation of economical and sustainable airliners by transforming the way aircraft are manufactured and designed.
Outbound Aerospace is a 3D printing-based aircraft manufacturer revolutionizing production efficiency.
3D printing-based: Utilizes advanced additive manufacturing to produce molds and parts at scale with precision.
Efficiency: Achieves a 50% reduction in overall costs, 12x faster engineering cycles compared to traditional processes, and reduced fuel consumption for customers.
Bulleted Version: In the same way that Tesla transformed battery production to scale EVs, Outbound Aerospace is reshaping aviation with precision 3D printing to scale production while providing a more efficient solution.
Industry: Aviation, Aerospace Manufacturing
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Year Founded: 2023
Employee Count: 4
Investors: Antler, Blue Collective, and various angels
Amount Raised: $1.1 M pre-seed
Business Model: B2B, manufacturing and selling airplanes to airlines
Early Traction: Flying prototype is 80% completed, active discussions with three airlines
Outbound’s first prototype using their new manufacturing method
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Market Opportunity: The aviation industry faces a potential airplane shortage, with 40,000+ new planes needed in the next 20 years, while current suppliers are only on pace to produce half, creating a massive market opportunity.
Disruptive Manufacturing Process: Outbound Aerospace’s reliance on 3D printing introduces cost savings and supply chain resilience, reducing dependency on global logistics and legacy suppliers prone to bottlenecks and delays.
Sustainability: By incorporating aerodynamic designs that reduce fuel consumption, Outbound aligns directly with the aviation industry's push for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Regulatory Compliance: Aviation regulations are highly complex, and delays in certification could significantly impact the company’s go-to-market timeline and overall strategy.
Extended Sales Cycle: Selling to airlines often involves multi-year negotiations, which may delay revenue generation and require substantial upfront capital investment.
Starting with Private Aircrafts: While targeting private jets to generate initial revenue is a practical strategy, it risks uncertainty in customer demand due to a lack of clear efficiency-driven and environmental use cases compared to airlines.
Ian Lee, CEO: Previously taught at Missouri S&T, with a background in product engineering, manufacturing, and sales
Jake Armenta, CTO: Previously a manufacturing & integration engineer at Relativity Space and Boeing.
To request an introduction to the founder, respond to this email.
JetZero: Backed by Alaska Star Ventures and US Air Force Reserve.
Nautilus: Backed by Morris Group, Eve Air Mobility, and Greenbird.
Why Outbound Aerospace: By reimagining the manufacturing process, making it 12x faster, and reducing fuel consumption and costs by 50%, Outbound Aerospace has huge potential to land some massive airlines as customers as the company grows.
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What do you think of Outbound Aerospace?Cast your vote below and tell us why: |
The Results Are In: MindPalace, a hyper-personalized AI model that integrates your data into a single platform, was favored in last week’s poll.
Subscriber Feedback: “My dream has always been to have my own version of Tony Stark’s J.A.R.V.I.S from the Movie Iron Man. If this brings me one step closer, count me in.”