Dan Caruso on Bandwidth, Quantum Tech, and Lessons from Billion-Dollar Exits

Nicknamed “The Bear” for his tenacity and drive, Dan Caruso is a visionary leader with an extraordinary track record in the telecommunications industry. As the founder and CEO of Zayo Group, he built the company into a powerhouse, leading it to a $14.3 billion exit while delivering exceptional returns for investors. Caruso has been at the forefront of three multi-billion-dollar industry-defining ventures. He co-founded Level 3 Communications, played a pivotal leadership role at Metropolitan Fiber Systems (MFS), and spearheaded the take-private of ICG Communications in 2004, achieving a staggering 25x return. His ability to navigate and capitalize on boom-bust innovation cycles has cemented his reputation as one of the most successful telecom entrepreneurs of the modern era. In 2020, he founded Caruso Ventures, an investment firm focused on quantum technology, space tech, and high-growth Colorado scaleups. A three-time "Decacorn" entrepreneur, Caruso now shares his expertise with the next generation of innovators through Endeavor Global, Elevate Quantum, and the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. His latest book, Bandwidth: The Untold Story of Ambition, Deception, and Innovation That Shaped the Internet Age, chronicles the rise, fall, and rebirth of the internet infrastructure industry and the lessons learned from decades of groundbreaking entrepreneurship.