What connects high-thrust rocket propulsion with zero-emission industrial heat? On Episode 12 of the Throttle Up podcast, host Justin Starbird sits down with Franck Lahaye, Co-Founder and COO of Airthium, and Sascha Deri, Founder and CEO of bluShift Aerospace, to explore how hard-tech innovators navigate pivot points and scale breakthrough hardware.

Franck shares Airthium’s ambitious mission to tackle roughly 20% of global CO2 emissions by replacing fossil fuel boilers with high-efficiency, high-temperature heat pumps delivered through a zero-upfront-cost "Heat-as-a-Service" model.

Meanwhile, Sascha highlights bluShift’s strategic transition toward commercializing bio-derived hybrid rocket engines for hypersonic testing and suborbital payloads, proving that adaptability is a founder's strongest asset.

Together, they unpack real-world lessons from the hardware trenches: maintaining engineering agility, knowing when to pivot when physical reality challenges early assumptions, and leading lean, cross-functional teams toward commercial readiness.

They also discuss their community-driven growth via Wefunder equity crowdfunding and announce an upcoming joint live webinar on November 12th.

Tune in for a candid look at the grit, economics, and engineering required to build physical technology that changes industries!

Why does developing a rocket engine typically cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and how can smart engineering choices fundamentally alter those economics?

In this episode of Throttle Up, host Justin Starbird sits down with Sascha Deri, founder and CEO of bluShift Aerospace, live from the test site to break down the real financial and operational realities of rocket propulsion.

Sascha explains why bluShift opted for hybrid rocket technology, how non-toxic, bio-derived fuel eliminates massive safety and regulatory overhead, and why lower development costs don't mean sacrificing commercial performance.

They also dive into bluShift’s addition of a 15-inch motor platform designed for rapid test iteration, and explore how bluShift plans to disrupt the current global shortage of solid rocket motors in aerospace and defense!

Make sure to like, subscribe, and follow bluShift on all of our socials for more behind-the-scenes engineering updates from bluShift Aerospace!

What if we could fix the housing shortage and clean up waste plastic at the same time? On this episode of Throttle Up, host Justin Starbird sits down with Matt Pouliot, co-founder and CEO of ATLAS, following their showcase at bluShift's rocket engine test, to talk about how his team is turning unwashed waste plastic and fiberglass into structural building materials.

Matt shares how his background in construction and Maine politics led him to large-format 3D printing. Instead of waiting days for concrete to cure or dealing with rotten wood, ATLAS pre-engineers structural components, from footings to full bridge kits, that snap together on site like Lego blocks.

They dive into the realities of scaling physical hard tech, why dirty plastic recycling is a game-changer for water conservation, and how building a local manufacturing ecosystem in Maine helps tackle real-world problems that software alone can't fix.

There is a moment in every rocket engine test when the planning stops, and the engine tells you what is actually happening.

In this episode of Throttle Up, bluShift Aerospace founder and CEO Sascha Deri joins Justin Starbird from the test site in Brunswick, Maine, to break down what the team learned from its latest hot fire test. The engine burned for approximately one minute and 40 seconds, giving the engineering team valuable data on combustion stability, efficiency, thermal protection, and the changes made leading into the test.

But some of the most interesting discoveries came after the test.

Sascha shares why bluShift is now moving quickly on a 14-inch motor that can be built, handled, tested, and iterated more efficiently. He explains how the smaller platform can help the team learn faster, apply those lessons back to the larger 24-inch engine, and pursue a growing market of aerospace and defense customers looking for alternatives to traditional solid rocket motors.

The conversation also covers what Sascha is hearing directly from the market, the challenges around the availability and cost of legacy solid rocket motors, and the possibility of combining bluShift’s smaller and larger propulsion systems for entirely new applications.

For investors following bluShift, this episode offers a closer look at how testing, customer conversations, engineering decisions, and capital efficiency are coming together as the company determines what to build next and where its propulsion technology can create the most value.

Every successful company has people who believed long before the headlines.

In this episode of Throttle Up, Justin Starbird speaks with Greg Turis, one of bluShift Aerospace's earliest supporters and now an investor in the company. Greg shares how a small meetup led by Sascha Deri introduced him to an ambitious vision that would eventually become bluShift Aerospace, what those first conversations were like, and why he has continued to support the company over the years.

Recorded during the MAREVL Hot Fire Rocket Engine Test in Brunswick, Maine, this conversation provides a unique perspective on the value of early believers, the importance of adapting a vision into a business, and the excitement of watching a company grow from an idea into reality.

Recorded live at the MAREVL Hot Fire Rocket Engine Test in Brunswick, Maine, Justin Starbird sits down with bluShift Aerospace investor Howard Jones Jr. to discuss why an experienced nuclear engineer believes in the company's future.

Howard shares how he first discovered bluShift, what convinced him to invest, and why the company's focus on safety, affordability, and bio-derived propulsion technology stands out in today's aerospace industry. Drawing on decades of experience at Maine Yankee and Westinghouse, he explains how engineers evaluate emerging technologies and why solving difficult problems with practical solutions creates long-term value.

This episode offers a firsthand perspective from an investor who understands complex engineering, recorded just moments before one of bluShift's most important engine tests.

Recorded live at the MAREVL Hot Fire Rocket Engine Test in Brunswick, Maine, Justin Starbird sits down with longtime bluShift Aerospace investor John Rockwell to discuss why he has continued investing in the company from its earliest days.

John talks about discovering a rocket company in Maine, attending multiple engine tests over the years, and watching bluShift build momentum with every technical milestone. He also shares how he evaluates startup investments, why founder accessibility matters, and what gives him confidence in bluShift's future.

This conversation provides an investor's perspective on the importance of trust, consistency, and execution as bluShift works toward making commercial spaceflight more accessible.

Recorded live at the MAREVL Hot Fire Rocket Engine Test in Brunswick, Maine, Justin Starbird speaks with angel investor Phil Lachman about the future of commercial spaceflight and why bluShift Aerospace stands out among early-stage aerospace companies.

Drawing on his experience at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, the automotive industry, and more than a decade of angel investing, Phil explains how he evaluates hardware startups, why founder communication matters, and what excites him about bluShift's approach to reducing the cost of access to space.

This conversation offers an investor's perspective on the commercialization of space, the growing role of private companies, and why breakthroughs in launch technology could make space more accessible than ever before.