In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan Caruso is joined by Neil Hobbs, Partner at L5 Capital Partners and Chairman of Eu Networks, and Brady Rafuse, CEO of Eu Networks—two industry titans with careers that span continents and decades of innovation.
Ops Caruso
Bandwidth: Gillis Cashman, Managing Partner of M/C Partners
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan reconnects with Gillis Cashman, Managing Partner at M/C Partners and a longtime collaborator on industry-defining ventures like ICG and Zayo. Gillis reflects on their shared journey of transforming distressed telecom assets into thriving businesses, offering an insider’s perspective on the high-stakes world of private equity and telecom innovation.
Bandwidth: Carrie Charles, CEO of Broadstaff
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan welcomes Carrie Charles, the dynamic CEO of Broadstaff, a company specializing in workforce solutions for the digital infrastructure industry. Together, they co-host a lively discussion, exploring their entrepreneurial journeys and the pivotal moments that shaped their careers.
Bandwidth: Bill Barney, CEO and Founder of Asian Century Equity
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Bill Barney to explore the evolution of digital infrastructure in Asia, the significance of the PTC conference, and personal anecdotes from their careers in the telecom industry. Bill shares insights from his time at AT&T and MCI, highlighting the importance of strategic partnerships and the role of conferences in shaping industry dynamics.
Quantum Revolution: Jun Ye, NIST/JILA Fellow & Adjoint Professor of Physics
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan dives into the quantum world with Jun Ye, Fellow at NIST, JILA, and Adjoint Professor of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. Jun is a visionary in precision timekeeping, known for his pioneering work with optical atomic clocks. These innovations earned him global recognition, including the Yuri Milner Breakthrough Prize and the Niels Bohr Medal.
Bandwidth: John Warta, Former CEO and Founder of Electric Lightwave, GST Telecom
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan Caruso sits down with telecom legend John Warta to explore his extraordinary career and the transformative role he played in shaping the fiber optic networks that revolutionized the industry. From his early days as a Vietnam veteran to working with Ross Perot at EDS, John’s journey into telecommunications was anything but conventional.
Colorado Innovators: Natty Zola, Partner at Matchstick Ventures
Dan sits down with Natty Zola, Partner at Matchstick Ventures. Matchstick Ventures invests in early-stage technology companies in rapidly growing yet under-served startup ecosystems “between the coasts.” Before joining Matchstick, Natty co-founded Everlater, a travel startup backed by Techstars which eventually merged with Mapquest. Later he served as Managing Director of Techstars Boulder, guiding 63 companies through the accelerator, including transformative startups like Veho, Soona, and Tilt.
Tamim Khalfa, Co-founder and CEO of Toters
Dan sits down with Tamim Khalfa, Co-Founder and CEO of Toters. Toters is an on-demand delivery platform based in Lebanon that connects users with restaurants, grocery stores, and various retailers, providing fast and convenient delivery services. Tamim is also an Endeavor Entrepreneur and Board Member through Endeavor Lebanon. Prior to Toters, Tamim was a Management Consultant at Booz & Company and Oliver Wyman.
Bandwidth: Stephanie Copeland, Managing Partner at Four Points Funding
Dan sits down with Stephanie Copeland, Managing Partner at Four Points Funding. Dan and Stephanie relive the telecom era and their career journeys, including working together at Level 3 and Zayo group. This episode includes many great stories about the early bandwidth days and those influential in shaping the sector: from illegal stock swaps, accounting fraud, to larger than life characters that followed a strict ethical code.
Colorado Innovators: Brandon Spano, founder and CEO of ALLCITY
Dan sits down with Brandon Spano, the CEO of ALLCITY Network. ALLCITY is a content-focused sports media company that provides in-depth coverage, podcasts, and videos focused on professional and collegiate sports teams in 5 cities across the US: Denver, Phoenix, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Dallas. They also have physical bar locations in each of these cities, which offer a hub for passionate local sports fans.