Rob Schwarz
About Rob Schwarz
Chief Technology Officer of Momentus Inc. since early 2020; age 56 as of April 2025. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (Rutgers, 1995) and an M.S. in Aeronautics & Astronautics (MIT, 1997). Background spans spacecraft systems engineering, product management, and innovation at Space Systems Loral (SSL/Maxar) and Orbital Sciences before joining Momentus . Company performance during his tenure shows low revenue scale and negative EBITDA, and cumulative TSR deterioration per SEC “pay vs. performance” disclosure .
Company performance
| Metric | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues ($USD) | $299,000 | $3,089,000 | $2,114,000 |
| EBITDA ($USD) | $(90,185,000)* | $(67,278,000)* | $(28,826,000)* |
| TSR Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valuation of initial fixed $100 investment (cumulative) | $18.66 | $0.83 | $0.27 |
*Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Systems Loral (SSL) | Executive Director of Systems Engineering | 2010–2015 | Led systems engineering across commercial/government space programs . |
| SSL / Maxar | Product Management; CTO, Maxar Space Division | 2015–2018 (PM), CTO in 2018 | Drove product strategy; elevated to CTO of Maxar Space Division . |
| Orbital Sciences (now Northrop Grumman) | Various engineering/management roles | Not disclosed | Contributed to commercial and government space projects . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | No public board or external governance roles disclosed for Schwarz . |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Base Salary ($) | Target Bonus (%) | Actual Bonus Paid ($) | All Other Compensation ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 350,000 | 40% of base | 115,500 (Non-Equity Incentive) | 28,870 |
| 2024 | 350,000 | 40% of base | — (no bonus paid) | 33,906 |
- All other compensation for Schwarz consists of employee benefits deductions .
Performance Compensation
| Incentive Type | Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual Payout | Vesting/Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Non-Equity Incentive Plan | Pre-determined, measurable company milestones | Not disclosed | 40% of base | 2023: $115,500; 2024: $0 | Cash bonus earned based on annual milestones |
- No PSU metrics (e.g., TSR percentiles) for Schwarz disclosed; his equity grants are service-vested RSUs/options per tables below .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Beneficial ownership and trend
| Metric | As of Apr 3, 2025 | As of Jul 22, 2025 | As of Oct 10, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership (shares) | 1,679 | 1,005 | 1,005 |
| Ownership as % of shares outstanding | Less than 1% | Less than 1% | Less than 1% |
Outstanding equity awards at FY2024
| Award | Exercisable | Unexercisable | Exercise Price | Expiration | Unvested RSUs (units) | RSU Market Value ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Options (Mar 20, 2022 grant) | 97 | 12 | $1,778 (as reported) | Mar 20, 2032 | — | — |
| Options (Feb 22, 2020 grant) | 529 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| Options (Jun 15, 2020 grant) | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — |
| RSUs (from various grants) | — | — | — | — | 314 (2022/2023 awards) | $2,490 |
| RSUs (additional) | — | — | — | — | 80 | $634 |
- Hedging transactions are prohibited under the Company’s Insider Trading Policy; no pledging disclosures identified for Schwarz .
Vesting schedules (key grants)
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares/Units | Vesting Schedule | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options | Mar 20, 2022 | 109 | Equal quarterly installments over 3 years (June/Sept/Dec/March) | In final vesting year as of 2024 . |
| RSUs | Mar 23, 2023 | 471 | Three equal annual installments from grant date | In progress . |
| RSUs | Mar 20, 2022 | 238 | Three equal annual installments from grant date | In progress . |
| Stock options | Feb 22, 2020 | 529 | 25% on Feb 3, 2021; 75% on Feb 3, 2024 | Fully vested by Feb 3, 2024 . |
| Stock options | Jun 15, 2020 | 6 | 25% on Feb 3, 2021; 75% on Feb 3, 2024 | Fully vested by Feb 3, 2024 . |
Employment Terms
- Employment agreement specifics (severance multiples, change-of-control triggers) for Schwarz are not disclosed in the proxy; Company disclosed detailed severance/change-of-control terms only for CEO Rood .
- Clawback: Equity awards are subject to Company clawback policy and potential reduction/forfeiture/recoupment; awards are subject to recovery to comply with applicable laws .
- Insider policy: Hedging transactions prohibited for directors/officers/employees .
- Stock ownership guidelines for executives: not disclosed.
- Non-compete/non-solicit, garden leave, auto-renewal: not disclosed for Schwarz.
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Schwarz’s beneficial ownership is de minimis (<1%), and his equity exposure is primarily service-vested RSUs/options with modest counts post reverse splits, limiting direct alignment with long-term TSR .
- Retention: Outstanding RSUs/options with multi-year vesting provide some retention hooks through 2025–2026 .
- Pay-for-performance: His annual incentive is tied to company milestones with a 40% target; 2023 payout ($115,500) vs. no payout in 2024 indicates variability with operational outcomes .
- Risk signals: No pledging identified and hedging is prohibited, reducing misalignment risk; absence of disclosed personal severance/change-of-control economics for Schwarz lowers concerns around windfall incentives but also limits transparency for investors .
