384 | Building Companies of Consequence within the Electron Economy with Philip Krim
What if building breakthrough climate solutions didn’t mean starting from scratch—but tapping into a powerhouse community of seasoned innovators and investors who know how to scale impact?
Bio: Philip Krim is the Co-Founder and CEO of Montauk Climate. Previously he founded early-stage investment firm Montauk Ventures. He also co-founded, led, and served as Chairman of Casper Sleep, scaling it to over $500M in revenue, taking it public on the NYSE, and overseeing its eventual sale. Mr. Krim is a Director of the Travis Manion Foundation and on the Leadership Council of the Robin Hood Foundation. He holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from the Red McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin
Bio: Evan Caron is Co-Founder and CIO of Montauk Climate with over 20 years of experience in energy, electricity risk, and commodity management. He previously led Venture at Riverstone Holdings, a $40B energy investment firm, and co-founded ClearTrace, an ESG data platform for emissions tracking. Evan is also Co-Founder of Daylight Energy, a community energy software network. He serves on the Board of RPower, a distributed energy platform backed by Isquared, and previously served on MP2 Energy’s Board before its acquisition by Shell. Earlier in his career, Evan held senior roles at Deutsche Bank, Mercuria, and Trailstone.
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Transcript of Electron Economy Venture Capital Interview with Philip Krim
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Key Takeaways in Electron Economy Venture Capital Interview with Philip Krim
Hybrid Venture Studio Model Fuels Climate Innovation
Montauk Climate’s unique hybrid model—serving both as company builders and investors—accelerates the development of impactful startups in the electron economy. Their hands-on, collaborative approach and focus on “building companies of consequence” differentiates them from traditional investment firms, especially in a nascent field like climate tech.
“To date, we've been more heavily leaning on the company building side of life... We've launched about 10 companies from our studio and that's where we act as co-founders. ... And increasingly we're spending more and more time on the investing side. But I would say that's been the minority of the time spent to date.” (Philip Krim)
Selecting and Supporting High-Impact Founders
Montauk is intentional about aligning with founders who seek to scale big ideas and thrive within a collaborative, resource-rich ecosystem. Their process filters for ventures where their expertise can be truly additive, and they provide value not just through capital, but through deep advisory connections, commercial networks, and operational support.
“It really has to be a big idea for it to be a fit here. ... You're going to have founders who have equity, you're going to have Montauk Climate that has equity, and you're going to have various partners, various investors. ... The other is ultimately, we're picking a CEO to partner with, and ... if you're not wanting to collaborate with us, collaborate with our partners, with the network, then you're not going to get the value out of the ecosystem that we've been building.” (Philip Krim)
Opportunity within Turbulence of the Electron Economy
Despite the volatility and complexity inherent in the energy and climate sectors, Montauk Climate views change as opportunity rather than obstacle. Their long-term vision, strategic agility, and insistence on strong business fundamentals position their ventures to thrive even as market conditions and regulatory landscapes shift.
“Where other people see hurdles and, or roadblocks, we see opportunity. ... The way that we operate is we're not looking at a six month horizon. We're looking at the next five, 10, 15 years of what the world's going to look like. ... It’s our job to identify and look around corners.” (Evan Caron)