Bringing together his background and expertise in clean energy and business development, Amato was sought by company investors to establish Venti Energy in the U.S. 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.

Involved in the creation of the Clean Energy Alliance in 2001, a group of leading business incubators dedicated to providing business and financial service tailored to the needs of the clean energy community, Amato currently serves the organization as immediate Past Chair. The Alliance consists of 11 incubators throughout the country concerned with the development of clean energy venture technologies. Amato also serves as Commissioner for the City of Austin’s Resource Management Commission (RMC), and was recently selected to chair the newly formed Transportation Subcommittee.

Prior to his current role, Amato directed the Clean Energy Incubator (CEI), a program of the IC² Institute and The University of Texas at Austin, since its inception 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.

Holding worldwide acclaim for his groundbreaking involvement in clean energy business development, Amato has been featured as a key note in various conferences in the industry. In December 2005, he presented at the Fourth Annual Science Alliance Conference held in Turin, Italy, regarding the role of government, university and industry in incubation; and in June 2003, Amato was invited 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 Dept. (NG&GP) at Conoco Inc. 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
Clean Energy Incubator: Chairman, Advisory Board
Clean Energy Alliance: Past-Chair
Resource Management Commission, City of Austin: Commissioner
Solar Austin: Board Member
Texas ROSE (Ratepayers Organization to Save Energy): Board Member