King Energy is the nationwide leader in multi-tenant commercial solar, and the story behind how it got there is worth 45 minutes of any founder’s time. CEO John Witchel recently joined Daniel Robbins on Founder’s Story to discuss what it takes to raise $350M, scale across 250+ buildings, and double revenue every year since 2020.
The conversation covers the split incentive problem that kept solar out of commercial real estate for decades, why King Energy’s vision had to fit in one sentence before it could scale, and what 25 years of building through the .com bust, the 2008 crash, and every cycle since actually teaches a founder. His perspective on building, selling, and surviving is direct and hard-won.
What’s Covered in the Episode
John opens with the economics driving demand today. Energy prices in most U.S. markets are rising 7 to 9% year over year, and the options for businesses looking to control costs are limited. His view is straightforward: solar and batteries are the only solution actively in play right now.
On the competitive case for solar, John is direct:
“We can generate a megawatt hour of energy more cheaply than any fossil fuel-based energy generation. And we don’t have to deal with the global disruptions in the supply chain (…) because the energy that we generate locally on site just makes sense.”
Other topics discussed include how King Energy structured its offer to solve the split incentive problem in multi-tenant commercial buildings, what $45M in venture capital and $350M in project capital communicates to prospective partners, and what 25 years of building through market crashes teaches a founder about staying in the game.
The King Energy team is available to walk through the economics, answer questions, and explore what a long-term partnership looks like for a specific portfolio. Get in touch here.
