Manny Shar

Manny Shar is the Senior Director of Growth at Astrolab, a company pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. Astrolab is singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. Through its family of modular rover platforms, Astrolab enables the transport of cargo, equipment, and crews across planetary surfaces to support long-duration exploration and infrastructure development. At Astrolab, Manny spearheads strategic growth initiatives, forging partnerships with space agencies and industry, securing funding and contracts, and overseeing marketing and customer mission management for lunar and mars rover deployments.

He was previously the Chief Strategy Officer at Orbit Fab, a pioneering space start-up focused on developing a sustainable in-space propellant and materials supply chain. At Orbit Fab, Manny led the company's European and international expansion, winning million-dollar government contracts. Previously, as Head of Analytics at BryceTech, Manny established the firm’s European and international presence, leading government and commercial engagements and securing millions in contracts.

Before BryceTech, Manny managed the analysis of Inmarsat’s multi-billion-dollar portfolio of assets and drove strategic investments in satellite technology. He has also held roles in investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and Barclays.

Manny serves on multiple advisory boards and committees, including for the UK Space Agency and the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). He is the recipient of the 2023 IAF Young Space Leader award, SSPI’s 20 Under 35 award (2019 & 2020), SGAC’s Space Generation Leadership award, and the William S. Ball Award for Entrepreneurship.

He holds a Master's in Space Studies from the International Space University and a bachelor’s in computer science from the University of Kent.