# Peter Platzer

> Peter Platzer is the Austrian co-founder and executive chairman of Spire Global. Trained in physics, he worked in consulting and quantitative finance before studying at the International Space University and co-founding the satellite-data company in 2012. He led Spire as CEO until the end of 2024 and became executive chairman in January 2025.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Executive Chairman at Spire Global
- **Organizations:** Spire Global, NanoSatisfi, Boston Consulting Group, The Rohatyn Group, Deutsche Bank, Vegasoul Capital, NASA Ames Research Center, CERN, Max Planck Institute, Harvard Business School
- **From:** Vienna, Austria
- **Nationality:** Austrian
- **Education:** Diplom-Ingenieur in Physics, TU Wien (Technical University of Vienna), MBA; Baker Scholar, Harvard Business School, Executive program diploma, Singularity University, MSc in Space Science and Management, cum laude, International Space University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Spire in 2012 and led it as CEO for 12 years., White House Champion of Change for crowdfunding, 2013., Helped launch the ArduSat Kickstarter campaign, which raised $106,330 from 676 backers in 2012.

## Career timeline

- **1997–2001** — Strategy consultant at Boston Consulting Group, working in Europe and Asia.
- **2003–2007** — Head of quantitative research at The Rohatyn Group.
- **2007–2010** — Director and proprietary trader at Deutsche Bank.
- **2010–2011** — Senior portfolio manager at Vegasoul Capital.
- **2011–2012** — Returned to graduate study at International Space University; researched nanosatellite business opportunities.
- **2012** — Nanosatellite research internship at NASA Ames; co-founded NanoSatisfi, later Spire, with Joel Spark and Jeroen Cappaert.
- **2013** — Recognized as a White House Champion of Change for crowdfunding.
- **2021** — Led Spire through its public-market debut in August.
- **2025** — Became executive chairman on January 1 as Theresa Condor became CEO.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Spire in 2012 and led it as CEO for 12 years.
- White House Champion of Change for crowdfunding, 2013.
- Helped launch the ArduSat Kickstarter campaign, which raised $106,330 from 676 backers in 2012.
- Led Spire through its August 2021 public listing.
- Graduated from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Spire’s April 13 proxy statement confirms Platzer continues as executive chairman and chairperson of the board.
- **2025-04** — Spire completed the sale of its maritime business to Kpler for approximately $233.5 million before adjustments, plus a $7.5 million services agreement, and used proceeds to retire outstanding debt.
- **2025-01** — Became executive chairman; Theresa Condor succeeded him as CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://spire.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterplatzer
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ppl4world

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/peter-platzer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26