# Sky Dayton

> Sky Dayton is an American entrepreneur and investor who founded EarthLink in 1994 and Boingo Wireless in 2001, serving as Boingo’s original CEO and later chairman until 2014. A venture partner at Craft Ventures, he has also co-founded eCompanies and City Storage Systems/CloudKitchens and backed businesses including Ring, Swarm, Joby Aviation and Loft Dynamics. His recent publicly announced activity includes joining Xona’s board and participating in HYFIX’s seed financing.

- **Role:** Venture Partner at Craft Ventures
- **Organizations:** Craft Ventures, EarthLink, Boingo Wireless, eCompanies, City Storage Systems, CloudKitchens, Age of Learning, Diffbot, Artsy, Loft Dynamics, Xona
- **From:** New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High school graduate, Delphian School
- **Known for:** Founded EarthLink, which grew to serve millions of internet customers., Founded Boingo Wireless in 2001; the company went public in 2011., Established an EarthLink distribution relationship with Apple that made the ISP available during new Mac setup.

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Co-founded Café Mocha, an art gallery and coffeehouse in West Hollywood.
- **1992** — Co-founded entertainment-industry graphics agency Dayton/Walker Design with Adam Wicks Walker.
- **1994** — Founded EarthLink to simplify internet access.
- **1998** — Met Steve Jobs and established the Apple relationship that brought EarthLink to new Mac users.
- **1999** — Co-founded eCompanies with former Disney executive Jake Winebaum.
- **2001** — Founded Boingo Wireless and served as its original chief executive.
- **2005** — Became chief executive of Helio, the EarthLink and SK Telecom mobile venture.
- **2008** — Moved from CEO to chairman of Helio before its acquisition by Virgin Mobile USA.
- **2011** — Boingo Wireless completed its initial public offering.
- **2014** — Earned his jet rating in May; stepped down from Boingo’s chairmanship and board in August.
- **2016** — Co-founded City Storage Systems and CloudKitchens.
- **2021** — Portfolio company Swarm was acquired by SpaceX; Joby Aviation became publicly traded.
- **2022** — Invested in and joined the board of VR flight simulator company Loft Dynamics.
- **2025** — Xona announced he would join its board; participated in Loft Dynamics’ Series B.
- **2026** — Named as an investor in HYFIX’s $15 million seed financing announced April 15.

## Achievements

- Founded EarthLink, which grew to serve millions of internet customers.
- Founded Boingo Wireless in 2001; the company went public in 2011.
- Established an EarthLink distribution relationship with Apple that made the ISP available during new Mac setup.
- Co-founded eCompanies and City Storage Systems/CloudKitchens.
- Named Entrepreneur of the Year by the University of Southern California.
- Earned a jet rating in 2014.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — HYFIX announced a $15 million seed round led by Craft Ventures, with Sky Dayton among the participating investors.
- **2025-08** — Loft Dynamics announced a $24 million Series B, naming Sky Dayton and Craft Ventures among existing shareholders participating.
- **2025-06** — Xona announced $92 million in previously unannounced funding, including a Craft-led Series B and $20 million in non-dilutive funding; the announcement said Dayton would join its board.
- **2024-03** — Published a personal essay about his longtime interest in the Porsche 911 and early car purchases.

## Links

- Website: https://www.skydayton.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skydayton/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/skydayton
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@skydylandayton
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skydayton/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sky.dayton.5

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sky-dayton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21