Dan Caruso
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.