Crusoe adds Cloudflare CFO Thomas Seifert, Bill Stein and JB Straubel to its board
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What happened
Crusoe announced on 17 September 2026 that it had appointed three independent directors: Thomas Seifert, Bill Stein and JB Straubel. The company published the news on its own newsroom. Seifert is chief financial officer of Cloudflare, where he has led the finance function since 2017, and the release says he guided Cloudflare through its 2019 IPO. He will chair Crusoe's Audit Committee.
Stein is chief investment officer of Primary Digital Infrastructure. He was chief executive of Digital Realty from 2014 to 2022 and, the release says, co-founded that company. Straubel is founder and chief executive of Redwood Materials, a critical materials and energy storage company focused on battery recycling. He was chief technology officer of Tesla from 2005 to 2019 and sits on the Tesla and QuantumScape boards. The release added that Redwood's behind-the-meter microgrid, which combines solar power and repurposed EV batteries, powers Crusoe Spark modular data centers. It listed five existing directors, including co-founder and chief executive Chase Lochmiller, who is also chairman. The release did not give the new directors' term lengths.
Key points
- Three independent directors were appointed on 17 September 2026: Thomas Seifert, Bill Stein and JB Straubel.1
- Seifert, who has led Cloudflare's finance function since 2017, guided it through its 2019 IPO and will chair Crusoe's Audit Committee.1
- Stein was CEO of Digital Realty from 2014 to 2022 and is now chief investment officer of Primary Digital Infrastructure.1
- Straubel, founder and CEO of Redwood Materials, was Tesla's CTO from 2005 to 2019; Redwood's microgrid powers Crusoe Spark modular data centers.1
Why it matters
The Audit Committee will be chaired by a CFO who, per the release, led a company through its 2019 IPO. That is governance experience a listed company's reporting depends on.
Stein led Digital Realty as CEO from 2014 to 2022, and Straubel runs a company whose microgrid powers Crusoe Spark units. The board gains people with direct knowledge of Crusoe's data-center and energy markets.
The release links Redwood Materials to Crusoe as the power source for Spark modular data centers and calls it a strategic partnership, a relationship that sits alongside the board seat.
In context
| Round | Date | Post-money valuation | Raised | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series C | Apr 21, 2022 | $1.8B | $350M | G2 Venture Partners |
| Series D | Dec 12, 2024 | $2.8B | $600M | Founders Fund |
| Series F | Sep 17, 2026 | $31B | $3.9B | Atreides Management, Mubadala Capital, and Valor Equity Partners |
Updated
Fact-check
- Crusoe appointed Thomas Seifert, Bill Stein and JB Straubel as independent directors, announced on 17 September 2026.Confirmed by [1] Crusoe: the release dated 17 September 2026 announces the three independent director appointments.Verified
- Seifert has led Cloudflare's finance function since 2017, guided it through its 2019 IPO, and will chair Crusoe's Audit Committee.Confirmed by [1] Crusoe: the release gives his Cloudflare tenure and IPO role and names him Audit Committee chair.Verified
- Stein was CEO of Digital Realty from 2014 to 2022, co-founded it, and is chief investment officer of Primary Digital Infrastructure.Confirmed by [1] Crusoe: the release states these roles; it gives his Primary Digital title in two forms (Partner and CIO; Executive Managing Director and CIO).Verified
- Straubel founded and leads Redwood Materials, was Tesla's CTO from 2005 to 2019, and sits on the Tesla and QuantumScape boards.Confirmed by [1] Crusoe: the release states these roles.Verified
- Redwood's behind-the-meter microgrid powers Crusoe Spark modular data centers; Lochmiller is co-founder, CEO and chairman among five existing directors.Confirmed by [1] Crusoe: the release describes the microgrid and lists the five existing directors.Verified
Sources
- [1]Crusoe (opens in a new tab)Crusoe Adds Cloudflare CFO Thomas Seifert, Digital Realty Former CEO Bill Stein, and Redwood Materials Founder JB Straubel to its BoardThe world's most demanding AI builders need infrastructure that can match their pace.
