Ramya SwaminathanFounder

United States - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Leader, motivator, and innovator. Financier and problem solver. Named one of Business Insider’s 2020 list of 21 Rising Stars in clean energy.

I led the spin-out of Malta from X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory (formerly Google X) in 2018, and I have been the company’s CEO since, actively recruiting our multi-disciplinary team to commercialize Malta’s thermal storage technology and leading the company through multiple rounds of corporate funding.

In addition to my role in Malta, I current serve:

- As a U.S. Department of Energy Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Ambassador.

- On the U.S. Department of Energy Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC), having been appointed by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to advise the department on modernizing the nation’s electricity delivery infrastructure.

- On the U.S. Department of Commerce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee (REEAC), where I was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to advise the Commerce Department on U.S. competitiveness in the energy sector.

- As a Select Global Women in Tech Mentor for the U.S. Department of Commerce

- On the Board of Directors of Energy Storage Canada

- On the Executive Advisory Board of Women in Energy Network, Boston

- As a Founder Advisor at The Engine

Before founding Malta as an independent company, I was the CEO of Rye Development, a hydropower firm that became the leading developer of new hydropower projects in the U.S. during my tenure. Under my guidance, we expanded Rye’s platform into energy storage with the addition of two sizable pumped hydro development projects in the Pacific Northwest. I have also spent more than a decade as an investment banker, with time at UBS and Merrill Lynch.