# Aleksey Matyushev

> Aleksey Matyushev is an aerospace engineer and the co-founder and CEO of San Diego-based Natilus, where he is leading the development of blended-wing-body cargo and passenger aircraft. After work on aircraft programs at Kratos Defense and Piper Aircraft, he co-founded Natilus in 2016 around a practical freight problem: air shipping was fast but expensive, while sea shipping was cheap but slow. His current strategy begins with the KONA regional freighter, using a new airframe around established engines and systems, before moving toward the larger HORIZON passenger aircraft.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Natilus
- **Organizations:** Natilus, Piper Aircraft, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Lexegy LLC, openAE.org
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Natilus in 2016 and developed it from a large-drone concept into cargo and passenger blended-wing-body aircraft programs., Built an order book that Natilus reported at more than 570 aircraft with an aggregate value of about $24 billion by February 2026., Led development of the KONA regional freighter toward FAA Part 23 certification.

## Career timeline

- **2007-2011** — Worked as a corporate partner at Lexegy LLC.
- **2009-2012** — Created and administered openAE.org.
- **2010-2012** — Worked as an aero systems engineer at Composite Engineering, part of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, on unmanned aircraft systems.
- **2012-2015** — Worked as lead aerodynamicist at Piper Aircraft, contributing to programs including the PiperJet Altaire and M600.
- **2012-2016** — Consulted for Piper Aircraft in applied aerodynamics and advanced design.
- **2016** — Co-founded Natilus with Anatoly Starikov to develop a new class of cargo aircraft.
- **2023** — Natilus flew a subscale prototype demonstrating its blended-wing-body approach.
- **2025** — Received U.S. Patent 12,325,507 with Anatoly Starikov for a cargo-bay layout for blended-wing-body aircraft.
- **2026** — Natilus closed a $28 million Series A led by Draper Associates to advance its aircraft programs and manufacturing plans.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Natilus in 2016 and developed it from a large-drone concept into cargo and passenger blended-wing-body aircraft programs.
- Built an order book that Natilus reported at more than 570 aircraft with an aggregate value of about $24 billion by February 2026.
- Led development of the KONA regional freighter toward FAA Part 23 certification.
- Co-invented a patented cargo-bay layout for blended-wing-body aircraft, granted as U.S. Patent 12,325,507 in 2025.
- Helped secure a $28 million Series A for Natilus in February 2026.
- Previously contributed aerodynamic engineering to Piper Aircraft programs and unmanned aircraft work at Kratos Defense.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Natilus attended the Farnborough International Airshow to meet airlines, operators, manufacturers, suppliers, investors and government stakeholders.
- **2026-07** — Natilus announced that the FAA had assigned a project number to KONA, formally beginning its Part 23 certification program.
- **2026-06** — Matyushev joined JetZero co-founder Mark Page at the AIAA AVIATION Forum in San Diego for a discussion about bringing blended-wing-body aircraft into commercial service.
- **2026-03** — Matyushev discussed his background, founder sacrifices and aircraft commercialization strategy on the Techne Connect podcast.
- **2026-02** — Natilus announced a $28 million Series A led by Draper Associates, with participation from Type One Ventures, The Veterans Fund, Flexport and others.

## Links

- Website: https://natilus.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alekseymatyushev
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/AlekseyM
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NatilusAero

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/aleksey-matyushev
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26