Planet Expands Leadership Team with Key Product and Corporate Development Hires

Rhea-AI Summary

Planet has appointed Nate Gonzalez as VP of Platform Product and Ali Jafari as VP of Corporate Development, enhancing its leadership team as it prepares to go public through a merger with dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV (NYSE: DMYQ). Gonzalez brings experience from Facebook and PayPal, focusing on customer engagement, while Jafari has 20 years in finance and business development, previously with Nextdoor and Twitter. Their expertise is expected to drive growth and innovation as Planet leverages its satellite technology to address global challenges.

Positive

• Nate Gonzalez and Ali Jafari bring significant experience from leading tech companies, potentially enhancing Planet's ability to scale and innovate.
• Gonzalez's focus on customer engagement may improve client relations and product offerings.
• Jafari's expertise in finance and M&A may facilitate strategic growth and partnerships.

Negative

• New leadership changes may lead to temporary disruptions as they integrate into the team.
• Potential gaps in experience specific to Planet's unique operational environment.

Nate Gonzalez Appointed VP of Platform Product and Ali Jafari Appointed VP of Corporate Development

New Hires Bring Invaluable High-Growth Public Company Experience from Nextdoor and Facebook

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Planet, a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, today announced the addition of two key leaders as the company continues to scale the business and prepare to enter the public market. In July 2021, Planet entered into a definitive merger agreement with dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV (NYSE: DMYQ), a special purpose acquisition company, to become a publicly traded company.

Nate Gonzalez joins Planet as Vice President of Platform Product, where he will be responsible for directly supporting the Platform Product team in managing all of Planet’s customer- and partner-facing engagement. He brings unparalleled experience in consumer services and product management, with a demonstrated track record in product execution for end-to-end consumer experiences. As Director of Product at Facebook, Gonzalez led the Consumer Experience and Platform Product teams for the Novi Project. He also served as the Director of the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Payments product team at PayPal. Prior to PayPal, Nate was an investor and management consultant working at the intersection of fintech and emerging markets.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to dive into a host of customer problems across verticals in order to figure out how best to leverage Planet’s unique dataset in service of customers’ needs,” said Gonzalez. “There is so much impact that we can have here across industries, and I feel fortunate and grateful to help tackle some of the most pressing global problems of our day with this team.”

Ali Jafari joins Planet as Vice President of Corporate Development, where he will be responsible for leading strategic M&A. Jafari brings 20 years of experience across finance, sales, and business development that will be indispensable as the company continues to grow and scale. Prior to his time at Nextdoor, Jafari held a number of leadership roles at Twitter including Vice President of Global Partnerships, Vice President of Europe, and Head of Sales Operations as he helped launch and scale monetization for the company.

“Planet’s vision of using space to help life on earth is now more critical than ever. The world is changing rapidly and Planet’s constellation of satellites, combined with our unique data set, will allow customers of all sizes to measure what’s most important to them. I’m really looking forward to supporting our roadmap and helping the company scale in this critical next stage, “said Jafari.

“I’m thrilled to welcome both Nate and Ali to Planet at such a critical juncture in our journey as an organization,” said Kevin Weill, Planet’s President of Business and Product. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work and learn from them both during my career and can testify that they share the rare mix of strategy, execution, and servant leadership that we value at Planet. I’m excited to see the impact that they have on our company as we enter the public markets.”

About Planet

Planet is the leading provider of global, daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions. Planet is driven by a mission to image the world every day, and make change visible, accessible and actionable. Founded in 2010 by three NASA scientists, Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites, capturing and compiling data from over 3 million images per day. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to over 600 customers, comprised of the world’s leading agriculture, forestry, intelligence, education and finance companies and government agencies, enabling users to simply and effectively derive unique value from satellite imagery. Planet recently entered into a definitive merger agreement with dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV (NYSE:DMYQ), a special purpose acquisition company, to become a publicly-traded company. To learn more visit www.planet.com and follow us on Twitter at @planet.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210901005360/en/

Press

Trevor Hammond

comms@planet.com

John Christiansen/Cassandra Bujarski

Sard Verbinnen & Co

Planet-SVC@sardverb.com

Source: Planet

FAQ

Who are the new appointees at Planet and what are their roles?

Nate Gonzalez is appointed VP of Platform Product, and Ali Jafari is appointed VP of Corporate Development.

What experience do the new leaders bring to Planet?

Gonzalez has a background in product management from Facebook and PayPal, while Jafari has extensive experience in finance and business development from Nextdoor and Twitter.

How might the new hires impact Planet's growth?

Their expertise in tech and corporate strategy could drive innovation and enhance customer engagement, supporting Planet's growth as it approaches its public market debut.

When is Planet expected to go public?

Planet is set to become publicly traded following its merger with dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV (NYSE: DMYQ), which was agreed upon in July 2021.