12.19.24
Aerospace engineering grad’s startup targets electrifying private air travel
Akim Niyonzima ’22 has never been accused of thinking small, and he’s certainly not starting now with the launch of his and his business partner’s startup Nimbus Aerospace. As he explains, their long-term mission is nothing short of “reshaping business aviation with sustainable solutions.”
Niyonzima and Adrian Goos, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, founded their Seattle, Washington-based Nimbus in March 2023. After operating in stealth mode for months, the founders went public with their company in December. “We started Nimbus to bring aircraft enthusiasts, pilots and engineers together to push the boundaries of aviation and aircraft technology,” Niyonzima says. “Private jets are 5 to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial airplanes, making them one of the single most polluting forms of transportation. As my business partner says, ‘This is an issue not even Taylor Swift can shake off.’”
Backed by investors Chisos Capital and Techstars, a global startup accelerator and venture capital firm, Niyonzima and Goos founded Nimbus on the idea of employing high-tech electrification, automation, and digital systems to help the aviation industry do its part to hit the international-consensus target of net-zero emissions by 2050. “Our hope, long-term,” Niyonzima says, “is for us to revolutionize sustainable aviation. By electrifying private air travel using today’s technology, we aim to make it cleaner, more efficient — and ultimately to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry.”
Specifically, Nimbus’ small team of professionals is working on the design and development of the N1000, a “zero emissions, high performance, low operating cost, and quiet aircraft,” as the company’s website describes the concept business jet. On December 4, the N1000-XSS1, a 10th-scale prototype of the jet, was flown successfully, demonstrating the soundness of the company’s initial proprietary airframe design. “As we grow,” Niyonzima says, “we hope to scale our technology, expand into new markets and set new standards for performance and sustainability.”
As a student at Wichita State, Niyonzima worked on no less than five engineering projects that dealt with a wide array of aeronautical and aerospace subjects, everything from the fundamentals of atmospheric flight (Aviation Accident Analysis) to space dynamics (CubeSat Digital Mission). “I believe I’m where I am now because I put myself out and participated in the various activities Wichita State offers,” he says. “Whether it was the Baha SAE racing team, the rocket club, hackathons — all of them helped me connect with like-minded people with innovative and inventive minds. That has put me in the position I am now.”
He adds, “I purely enjoyed the everlasting friendships I made with fellow Shocker colleagues, alumni and professors through the various projects I worked on at WSU.”
For more about Nimbus, visit nimbusaerospace.com.
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