# He Raised $350M to Rent Roofs: The 1 Sales Rule That Built It | Ep. 394 with John Witchel CEO & Co-Founder of King Energy

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/founder-s-story-648906/he-raised-350m-to-rent-roofs-the-1-sales-rule-that-built-it-ep-394-with-john-witchel-ceo-co-founder-of-king-energy
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Podcast: [Founder's Story](https://stenobird.com/podcast/founder-s-story-648906)
Published: 2026-05-04T16:20:00+00:00
Episode link: https://bleav.com/shows/founders-story/episodes/solar-is-already-the-answer-and-the-market-is-finally-forced-to-admit-it-ep-394-with-john-witchel-ceo-co-founder-of-king-energy/
Audio file: https://clrtpod.com/m/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/1184/afp-969439-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/a7765f3f-02e4-4ded-bca1-01a20b7f82a5/episodes/b370089b-974d-4779-94d6-0b31495901e8/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=a7765f3f-02e4-4ded-bca1-01a20b7f82a5&awEpisodeId=b370089b-974d-4779-94d6-0b31495901e8&feed=NVPdHs07
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Duration seconds: 1495

## Resource

Daniel Robbins interviews John Witchel, CEO and co founder of King Energy, on why solar did not “lose,” it simply needed the right business model. John breaks down the split incentive problem in multi tenant buildings and how King Energy solves it by renting rooftops from landlords and selling power to tenants at a discount. They also unpack why solar and batteries are now cheaper than fossil fuels, why energy price increases are forcing action, and how John built his 10th startup by speaking the customer’s language instead of selling ideology.

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