Startup Company: Zunum Aero

Power Optimization for Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS)-- Startup company Zumun Aero, co-founded by a POETS faculty member who also leads one of the development teams, is designing and building several models of 10- to 50-seat hybrid-electric propulsion jets for trips of 700 miles initially, by 2020, and as much as 1,000 miles by 2030. The aircraft would fill a transportation gap in short-haul regional flights, reducing travel times in busy corridors by as much as 40 percent, and by 80 percent in areas with less traffic, the company predicted. Airfares would likely be cut by 40 to 80 percent. The aircraft will have 80 percent lower emissions initially and is expected to reduce noise by 75 percent. Zunum, a member of POETS' Industrial Advisory Board, has significant funding support by fellow POETS IAB member The Boeing Company, as well as by the investment arm of JetBlue Airways Corp.