# Ildar Shar

> Ildar Shar is a Toronto-based entrepreneur, co-founder and board member of StackAdapt, and founder of FirstPrinciples. He led StackAdapt as CEO from 2013 through 2023, before moving to a board role and establishing FirstPrinciples in 2024 to support work at the intersection of AI and fundamental science.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Board Member at StackAdapt; Founder at FirstPrinciples
- **Organizations:** StackAdapt, FirstPrinciples, Mindshare, Schlumberger
- **Known for:** Co-founded StackAdapt and served as CEO from 2013 through 2023., Led StackAdapt when it ranked 21st in the 2019 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 with 843% revenue growth over 2015-2018., Led StackAdapt during its 2022 Enterprise Fast 15 and 2023 Enterprise-Industry Leaders recognitions.

## Career timeline

- **2007-2009** — A public colleague recommendation documents working with and receiving training from Shar at Schlumberger during this period.
- **Before 2013** — Worked at Mindshare, where his agency work connected him with Vitaly Pecherskiy.
- **2013** — Began building StackAdapt with Vitaly Pecherskiy and Yang Han; became CEO.
- **2014** — StackAdapt launched its advertising platform.
- **2023** — Announced transition from CEO to an active board role.
- **2024** — Vitaly Pecherskiy became StackAdapt CEO on January 1; Shar founded FirstPrinciples during the year.
- **2026** — FirstPrinciples announced John Templeton Foundation support for the AI Physicist initiative on January 5.

## Achievements

- Co-founded StackAdapt and served as CEO from 2013 through 2023.
- Led StackAdapt when it ranked 21st in the 2019 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 with 843% revenue growth over 2015-2018.
- Led StackAdapt during its 2022 Enterprise Fast 15 and 2023 Enterprise-Industry Leaders recognitions.
- Established FirstPrinciples in 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — FirstPrinciples announced a philanthropic grant from the John Templeton Foundation for the AI Physicist initiative on January 5.
- **2026-10** — At the research check, StackAdapt’s official biography continues to identify Shar as co-founder and board member; FirstPrinciples describes Theo Collaborator and offers early access.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ildar-shar-55493321/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/ildarshar

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ildar-shar
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14