# Dan Caruso

> Dan Caruso is a Boulder-based entrepreneur, investor and author who co-founded Zayo Group and served as its CEO and chairman. He was a founding executive of Level 3 and led the ICG Communications buyout before building Zayo. He now leads Caruso Ventures, backs Colorado technology companies, hosts The Bear Roars podcast and supports the region’s entrepreneurial and creative communities.

- **Role:** Founder and Managing Director at Caruso Ventures
- **Organizations:** Caruso Ventures, Zayo Group (co-founder; former CEO and chairman), Level 3 Communications (founding executive), MFS Communications (former executive), ICG Communications (former president and CEO), Infleqtion, formerly ColdQuanta (investor; interim CEO in 2021), The Caruso Foundation (co-founded with Cindy Caruso), Endeavor Colorado, Tulagi Fest, formerly Boulder Roots Music Fest
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- **Known for:** Led Zayo from its 2007 founding through its 2014 IPO and the $14.3 billion 2020 acquisition., Zayo completed 45 acquisitions and had a 133,000-mile network by its 2020 take-private., ICG investment returned approximately 25 times the original $8.7 million.

## Career timeline

- **1986** — Graduated from Illinois and began his career at Illinois Bell/Ameritech.
- **1990** — Earned his Chicago Booth MBA.
- **1992** — Joined MFS Communications, subsequently serving on its executive team.
- **1997** — Became a founding executive of Level 3 Communications.
- **2004–2006** — Led the ICG Communications take-private and served as president and CEO; ICG was sold to Level 3 in 2006.
- **2007** — Co-founded Zayo Group with John Scarano and Matt Erickson.
- **2014** — Published Zayo’s Owner’s Manual in January; Zayo completed its NYSE IPO in October.
- **2015** — Dan and Cindy Caruso established their family foundation.
- **2020** — Zayo’s $14.3 billion acquisition closed in March; founded Caruso Ventures and moved on from Zayo leadership that year.
- **2021** — Served as interim CEO of ColdQuanta, now Infleqtion.
- **2024** — Launched The Bear Roars podcast.
- **2025** — Published Bandwidth in February and helped launch Boulder Roots Music Fest.
- **2026** — Returned to Booth as a graduation speaker; Boulder Roots became Tulagi Fest.

## Achievements

- Led Zayo from its 2007 founding through its 2014 IPO and the $14.3 billion 2020 acquisition.
- Zayo completed 45 acquisitions and had a 133,000-mile network by its 2020 take-private.
- ICG investment returned approximately 25 times the original $8.7 million.
- Recipient of Chicago Booth’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship.
- Recipient of the Colorado Technology Association’s Bob Newman Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Recipient of the Colorado Governor’s Corporate Citizenship Medal.
- Honored with CBCA’s 2026 John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award.
- Author of Bandwidth, released February 4, 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Discussed the renamed Tulagi Fest and its downtown Boulder format in an August 18 Colorado Sound interview; the festival was scheduled for August 27–30.
- **2026-07** — CU Boulder profiled Caruso Ventures vice president Cody Moore’s work overseeing the rebranded Tulagi Fest.
- **2026-06** — Delivered Chicago Booth’s graduation address on June 6, returning 36 years after his MBA.
- **2026-04** — Named the John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award honoree in CBCA’s April 21 awards program.
- **2026-02** — Infleqtion, where he was an early investor and interim CEO in 2021, began NYSE trading on February 17.

## Links

- Website: https://carusoventures.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpcaruso
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/DanCaruso
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBearRoars
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniel__caruso/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dan-caruso
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22