Whisper Aero opens its doors and showcases its tech at company’s first Supplier Summit
More than 50 companies joined Whisper Aero for its first Supplier Summit today (Thursday).
Taking place at its HQ in Crossville, Tennessee, the one-day event was designed to give those attending an exclusive opportunity to meet the Whisper team, connect with engineers working to achieve ultra-quiet, ultra-efficient propulsion, and receive its new Supplier Handbook.
Companies specialising in batteries, motors, power electronics, metallics, composites and engineering polymers were present.
Patrick Brew, who is part of the Whisper Aero team organising the Supplier Summit, said: “This event is about finding better ways to connect with our supply base, both existing and new suppliers.”
“Our main motivations are that we want to get to know them better, explain where the company is heading, what we’re working on and what partners we need to enable those things, and then communicate how these companies can best work with Whisper.”
He added: “Over the course of 2023 and first half of 2024, we probably had more than 100 supplier reach outs. We figured that instead of spending just 30 minutes with them, let’s invite everyone to come to our facility, see the tech in person and have a day dedicated to meeting us. And because we have the control of being in at our own site, we can share more information than we’d otherwise be able to share via Zoom or over a phone call.
“We’re sourcing these suppliers to address all the markets that we’re in. We have those which are aiming towards DOD, some which are aerospace and then we have some which are part of our consumer pathway products. We have spread the gamut from really experienced aerospace quality suppliers, all the way to folks who are optimized around the affordability pipeline. We’re excited about all of the efforts that we have going on.”
For those companies which were unable to submit an application in time, Whisper plans to make the Supplier Summit an annual event. Ian Villa, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Whisper Aero, added that companies can still reach out for a supplier handbook once the event is over.
He said: “The details may shift over time, but we’ll learn a lot from the first event and it will also open the door to a lot of suppliers we haven’t talked to in the past. The next event might be more private, but we’re going to play it by ear and make sure to do what’s best to build the best products out there.
“What makes it really exciting is that amongst the folks that we’re bringing in house, it’s a mix of both big players and small players. And it just comes back down to how strategic we can be, and how we can ensure that we build the best possible product.
“And sometimes that means you’ve got to be a big player, and you carry a big stick and you have a lot of resources to bear. Other times, though, it’s a small team like ourselves and they just get it. They’re able to work at the same pace, with the same sort of mindset that we have. It’s going to be amazing to see the variety of folks in the room and it will hopefully be empowering.”
You can keep up to date about Whisper Aero’s progress by visiting its website https://www.whisper.aero/. For more updates about its Supplier Summit on the day, you can follow its profile on X and LinkedIn.
All pictures are courtesy of Whisper Aero.


