Ep. 22 - From Casper to Data Centers: Philip Krim's Bet on the Electron Economy
Philip Krim spent eight and a half years turning Casper into a household name, then walked away from consumer almost entirely to bet on something people will never see. In this Founder Series episode, Philip Krim, Co-Founder and CEO of Montauk Capital, breaks down why bring-your-own-power is becoming the default way data centers get built and what it actually takes to build the infrastructure behind AI.
🔑 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
• Why bring-your-own-power is becoming the default way data centers get built, and why Texas is leading it
• Why New York's one-year moratorium on hyperscale data centers is a preview of the regulatory wave heading nationwide
• The real tell that a company's AI governance is a boardroom mandate and not actual organizational change
• Why Krim thinks capital is not the bottleneck in energy and digital infrastructure, deployment and deal structuring are • How Montauk turns commercial real estate owners into company-building partners, using Perimeter Compute as the model
• The line between founder conviction and simply not listening to customers, and how Krim tests for it 💬
"Maybe the only thing as universal as sleep is energy." — Philip Krim
Show Notes:
00:10 Introducing Philip Krim
03:09: The universal need for sleep and power
06:09: Why bring-your-own-power is becoming the default for data centers 07:44: New York's moratorium and the regulatory pushback
09:19: Educating communities on what data centers actually do
10:35: The AI governance gap: mandate versus real adoption
14:02: Is now the time to invest in AI?
15:27: Angel investing: Ramp, Reddit, and the one that got away
17:24: Why branding matters as much in B2B as consumer
18:38: Conviction versus not listening: what makes a founder
21:24: Partnering with asset owners 26:09: Lessons in leadership
28:22: Career advice for the AI Generation
33:42: Ryan's postgame recap
👤 ABOUT PHILIP KRIM
Co-Founder and CEO, Montauk Capital Krim co-founded and led Casper from its 2014 launch through its 2020 NYSE listing and 2021 sale, while spending over a decade as an active angel investor backing Ramp, Reddit, Affirm, and Relativity Space early. He is now building the electron economy at Montauk Capital, a company builder and investor at the intersection of AI, energy, and digital infrastructure.
🏢 ABOUT CRE UNPLUGGED Real, unfiltered conversations about where commercial real estate is actually going. Covering AI, innovation, and the human side of the industry that nobody else is talking about. Hosted by Ryan Elazari.
🔔 Subscribe for episodes with CRE founders, operators, and innovators pushing the industry forward. Connect With Us 📧
Email: info@creunplugged.com 🌐
Website: creunplugged.com
📺 YouTube: @CREUnplugged1
💼 LinkedIn: CRE Unplugged
📱 Instagram: @cre.unplugged
Connect With Philip
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/philip-krim
🏢 Montauk Capital: montaukcap.com 🤝 SPONSORED BY HILO This episode is sponsored by our partner, @HILO, the customer experience platform turning heads in commercial real estate. Learn more: https://www.hilooapp.com