Speakers

Chris Ariante is the CEO and Founder of Nira Energy, a software company unlocking faster, more transparent grid interconnection. Chris leads Nira’s commercial strategy and customer growth, supporting some of the country’s largest developers and grid stakeholders.

Before founding Nira, Chris was Director of Strategy and Project Development at Smart Wires, a grid technology company focused on transmission optimization. There, he led a $150M portfolio of grid upgrade projects in partnership with utilities and ISOs. He previously worked as an engineer at ExxonMobil, overseeing interconnection and infrastructure development for $15B+ worth of assets.

Chris is a 2025 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Mountain West winner and a Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Fellow, part of a national community advancing inclusive leadership in the energy transition. His work sits at the intersection of infrastructure, innovation, and energy systems change.