Bringing together his background and expertise in clean energy and business development, Amato was sought by company investors to establish Venti Energy in 2006 as a niche player in the growing U.S. renewable development market. As founding President and CEO, Amato aspires to develop the untapped opportunity and potential in clean energy to help minimize the exploitation of depleting natural resources and energy supply worldwide.

Prior to his current role, Amato founded the Clean Energy Incubator (CEI) at The University of Texas at Austin in 2001. Being the first incubator of its kind, Amato established a successful program for clean energy ventures to accelerate their time to market. Partnering with the Austin Clean Energy (ACE) Initiative, Amato helped elevate the level of awareness within Central Texas regarding clean energy within the government, the community and the media. In addition, Amato secured $1.5 million in funding for CEI through the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), the Department of Energy (DOE), the City of Austin and its utility, Austin Energy.

At the national level, Amato was involved with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the creation of the Clean Energy Alliance (CEA), a group of leading U.S. business incubators dedicated to providing business and financial services tailored to the needs of the clean energy community. The Alliance consists of over 20 incubators throughout the country concerned with the development of clean energy venture technologies. Amato currently serves on the Leadership Team for the CEA.

Holding worldwide acclaim for his groundbreaking involvement in clean energy business development, Amato has been featured as a keynote and panelist in various conferences throughout the world: Malaysia, Denmark, Norway, Italy, and Kazakhstan. He was even invited in June 2003 by the Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) in Japan to discuss various concepts of incubation and clean energy.

Amato’s introduction into the energy industry began as an engineer in the Natural Gas and Gas Products Department (NG&GP) at Conoco Inc. in the early 1990's. As a graduate of the NG&GP’s Management Development Program, he successfully managed several projects including a $7 million installation to capture methane gas released from coal mining operations.

Amato holds a MBA in Entrepreneurship and Management from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Professional Involvement
Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association: Board Member, Wind Subcommittee Co-Chair
The Wind Coalition: Board Member
Resource Management Commission, City of Austin: Commissioner
Clean Energy Incubator: Chairman, Advisory Board
Clean Energy Alliance: Leadership Team
Texas ROSE (Ratepayers Organization to Save Energy): Board Member
Texas Solar Energy Society: Past Board Member
Solar Austin: Past Board Member