The Future of Hypersonics with Venus Aerospace

At Cubit Capital, we invest in courageous leaders building businesses that address critical problems in innovative and significant ways. Our partners create novel technologies that advance human flourishing and strengthen the free world. We partner with teams who don't just push technological boundaries—they do so with purpose, sacrifice, and a vision for bringing humanity closer together.

Venus Aerospace represents a key focus for us: breakthrough innovation connecting people, protecting democracy, and, through proximity, making the world more peaceful. Co-Founders Sarah "Sassie" Duggleby and Andrew Duggleby lead with integrity and resolve to make the world a better place.

The history of aviation is a snapshot of the history of human connection. Every leap forward—from the Wright Brothers to the jet age—has brought cultures closer, fostered understanding, and created bonds that transcend borders. When people meet face-to-face, families separated by oceans can embrace within hours, and business partners can build trust in person.  In short, the world becomes more peaceful.

Venus Aerospace has pioneered the world's first reusable Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE), a propulsion system that outperforms conventional methods by 25%. This groundbreaking achievement enables sustained hypersonic flight at Mach 9, redefining the possibilities of air travel:

• Tokyo to Los Angeles in less than 2 hours
• Any point on Earth reachable within 3 hours

• Transonic (current commercial): Up to Mach 1 (767 mph)
• Supersonic: Up to Mach 5 (~3,800 mph)
• Hypersonic: Beyond Mach 5—Venus targets Mach 9 (6,900 mph)

The strategic significance is clear: democratic nations and their allies lag behind authoritarian regimes in hypersonic capabilities. While China and Russia are advancing their programs, the U.S. and allied defense departments do not anticipate reusable hypersonic systems until 2040.

Venus will dramatically accelerate this timeline—not just for America, but for the entire democratic alliance.

This technology serves dual purposes: strengthening collective defense while revolutionizing civilian travel. When allied nations can respond to threats in minutes rather than hours, when democratic leaders can convene instantly regardless of geography—we all become more secure and more united.

World-Class Leadership – CEO Sarah "Sassie" Duggleby, a visionary leader with deep expertise from Virgin Orbit and a seat on the Texas Space Commission, is at the helm of Venus Aerospace. Recognized by Inc. Magazine's Female Founders 500 for three consecutive years, she leads Venus alongside her husband, co-founder Andrew Duggleby. This husband-wife team brings something rare to aerospace: the perfect blend of Sassie's systems engineering business background and Andrew’s hypersonic propulsion expertise, united by shared values including commitments to world-changing technology and to family. Their partnership exemplifies the connections Venus seeks to strengthen globally.

Technology serves both defense and commercial markets – This ensures allied security while bringing families together faster. Their vision extends beyond military applications to a world where:

• Families and friends spend more time together while living on different continents
• Global teams collaborate in person, not just on screens
• Emergency medical supplies reach any disaster zone within hours
• Cultural exchange flourishes as travel becomes effortless

Values-Aligned Mission – Venus embodies our belief that business should advance human flourishing. Their technology will:

• Strengthen bonds between free nations and their peoples
• Create jobs in American manufacturing while serving global needs
• Make international collaboration the norm, not the exception
• Reduce aviation emissions by 50% compared to conventional aircraft

Building Real Solutions – From their Texas facility, Venus is creating tangible hardware with a team of veterans, engineers, and innovators who value both cutting-edge technology and making it "home for dinner." This philosophy starts at the top. Sassie and Andrew Duggleby have built a company culture that mirrors their own family values, proving that you can pursue audacious goals while prioritizing what matters most.

History shows us that when people connect, conflicts decrease. The jet age didn't just speed up travel—it created millions of personal relationships across borders, making war between connected nations increasingly unthinkable.

Venus's hypersonic future takes this principle to its logical conclusion: a world where distance is no longer a barrier to understanding, where allied nations operate in tandem, where families and businesses maintain global connections as easily as local ones.

Venus has already achieved remarkable milestones:

• Executed the most capital-efficient development of a new propulsion technology in history, in under 4 years with less than $80M
• Designed, built, tested, and flew the world's first high-thrust Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine, unlocking major interest from primes & investors for use of the engine in high-speed systems
• Developed the VDR2, the Venus Detonation Ramjet, the only single-engine solution for take-off to Mach 5+, long considered the holy grail of high-speed flight.
• Unlocked regulatory language with the FAA reauthorization bill for high-speed flight, and secured contracts from DARPA, Air Force, NASA, and more.

Imagine: Your daughter studying in Tokyo home for Sunday dinner in Texas. Allied defense ministers meeting in person within hours of any crisis. Humanitarian aid reaching any corner of Earth before the sun sets. Business partners building trust face-to-face, regardless of continent.

This is the future Venus is building. One where the free world stands stronger together, where understanding replaces suspicion, where human connections transcend geographic constraints. It's fitting this vision comes from a husband-wife team who understand that the greatest achievements happen when personal and professional purposes align.