Saunon Malekshahi

Originally from San José, Costa Rica, Saunon is an accomplished engineer with a passion for aerospace and aviation technology. His career is marked by a commitment to innovation and disrupting traditional aviation operations through engineering, research, and industry collaboration.

He co-founded Moonware to build intelligent airfields that will enable the next generation of flight, marking a significant step in revolutionizing the aviation industry. Prior to this, Saunon started an initiative to establish a commercial spaceport for spaceflight operations in Latin America, culminating with publications at prestigious aerospace conferences. He also worked as an aerodynamics engineer at Natilus, developing UAS for airfreight and gaining insights into aviation sales cycles and regulatory environments.

Saunon's journey into aerospace began early. While studying Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley, he led a research group that claimed 3rd place at the NASA University Aeronautics Design Challenge for supersonic aircraft. The same group went on to successfully conduct software projects in autonomous driving research in partnership with Aptiv, honing his expertise in industry-applied research. His interest in aerospace was sparked in high school when he completed his private pilot training.