Press kit

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Dan Caruso is the founder of Caruso Ventures which invests in entrepreneurs across quantum, space, and digital infrastructure. A three-time decacorn entrepreneur, he founded Zayo Group, was a co-founding executive of Level 3 Communications, and was an investor and interim CEO of Infleqtion, which went public in 2026. He is Board Chair of the Tulagi Music Festival, hosts the Bear Roars podcast, authored Bandwidth, and publishes Engage Colorado.

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Dan Caruso is the founder of Caruso Ventures, where his mission is to be Colorado’s most catalytic tech investor, investing across quantum, space, digital infrastructure, and Colorado’s broader creative ecosystem. He is a three-time decacorn entrepreneur of industry-defining digital infrastructure companies which went public, including founding CEO of Zayo Group and co-founding executive of Level 3 Communications. He was an investor and interim CEO of quantum company Infleqtion, which went public in 2026.

He hosts the Bear Roars podcast, is Co-founder and Board Chair of the Tulagi Music Festival, authored the book Bandwidth, and wrote the song “Stretch.” He also supported the Sundance Film Festival’s move to Boulder. In 2026, he launched Engage Colorado, which advances a vision of Colorado as the world’s most attractive innovation ecosystem, with every Coloradan sharing in the prosperity that results. He serves as Board Chair of Endeavor Colorado and on the boards of Elevate Quantum and Colorado Thrives, and supports UChicago’s Polsky Center, CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial programs, and the University of Illinois.

He has delivered commencement addresses at the University of Illinois, CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

His honors include the Chicago Booth Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship, the Colorado Governor’s Corporate Citizenship Medal, the Colorado Technology Association’s Bob Newman Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts’ John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award.

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Dan Caruso is the founder of Caruso Ventures, where his mission is to be the most catalytic tech investor in Colorado, investing in entrepreneurs across quantum, space, and digital infrastructure, alongside Colorado’s broader creative and innovation ecosystem.

He is a three-time decacorn entrepreneur of industry-defining digital infrastructure companies which went public. He was Founding Partner, Chairman, and CEO of Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZAYO) and a co-founding executive of Level 3 Communications. He also led the take-private of ICG Communications, which achieved a 25x return and led to the ideation of Zayo. More recently, he was an investor and interim CEO of quantum company Infleqtion, which went public in 2026.

He hosts the Bear Roars podcast, is Co-founder and Board Chair of the Tulagi Music Festival, authored the book Bandwidth, and wrote the song “Stretch”—platforms he uses to spotlight the individuals, ideas, and innovations shaping Colorado’s tech and creative future. He also supported the Sundance Film Festival’s move to Boulder.

In 2026, he launched Engage Colorado, which grew out of the grassroots coalition formed to ensure Colorado’s innovation future. Engage Colorado advances the vision in which Colorado becomes the most attractive innovation ecosystem in the world and every Coloradan shares in the economic and cultural prosperity that results.

In 2015, Dan and Cindy Caruso established The Caruso Foundation to support initiatives that inspire entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusion. He serves as Board Chair of Endeavor Colorado and on the boards of Elevate Quantum and Colorado Thrives, and was the original Steering Committee Chairman of Colorado’s Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network. He supports UChicago’s Polsky Center, CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial programs, and the University of Illinois.

He has delivered commencement addresses at the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering in 2019, the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business in 2020 and 2022, and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2026.

His honors include the Chicago Booth Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship, the University of Illinois Alumni Award for Distinguished Service, the Colorado Governor’s Corporate Citizenship Medal, the Colorado Technology Association’s Bob Newman Lifetime Achievement Award, the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts’ John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award, and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.