The term „hypersonic“ is usually used for any object that moves through the atmosphere at more than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) or roughly 6000 km/h. This speed regime is separated from others because unique physical effects - especially immense heating - arise and complicate any engineering work done for vehicles moving at such velocities. Recently, the topic has gained increasing attention due to its relevance for defence applications. Hypersonica was founded in 2023 to develop hypersonic vehicles to enhance European resilience and sovereignty in the space and defence sector. The founders shared their insights about deep tech opportunities, value-driven defence technology development and the most interesting engineering problem in aerospace history. Dr. Philipp Kerth is originally from the larger Munich area in Bavaria. After graduating from high school, he studied physics at the Technical University of Munich, driven by his fascination for fundamental science and supported by a scholarship from the Maximilianeum foundation. After winning a Rhodes Scholarship (Germany & Balliol 2018), he moved to Oxford University and pursued a PhD in Hypersonics. His research was focused on flow instabilities arising around flight vehicles at hypersonic speeds. When not researching high speed flow, Philipp Kerth led the Oxford University Gliding Club and worked as a volunteer flying instructor for junior pilots. After completion of the PhD, Dr. Kerth returned to Germany and Co-founded Hypersonica together with Dr. Ewenz in 2023.