Sports consulting firm Elevate has formally appointed former Apollo Program CEO Jim Caruso as its chief innovation officer.
Caruso, who joined the firm two years ago, is leading the company’s innovation team ahead of the launch of a soon-to-be unveiled proprietary software that it claims will set a new standard for connecting brands with audiences. The exec announcement comes as the company navigates other leadership changes and acquisitions, including recently taking over search firm Bowlsby Sports Advisors.
As Elevate rapidly grows, the innovation team will be counted on to help other internal divisions be more effective and efficient. The goal is to empower clients while building a platform with two-way potential that the team will use internally but also may provide back to their clients in the future to further boost their offerings.
“What I’m going to help build is going to benefit everyone and everything that we do in different ways,” Caruso said in a phone interview. “Whether it be our ticketing business, sales or brand consulting division, the ability to underpin that with data, technology and intelligence was interesting to me.”
Elevate, which was launched in 2018, lists Arctos, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the San Francisco 49ers, Velocity Capital and hospitality company Levy as part of its ownership group. It has more than 1,000 clients worldwide, including more than 70 NCAA athletic departments plus pro sports properties like NASCAR and the PGA Tour.
Caruso, 41, has been tasked with driving data-driven audience engagement and addressing client challenges in the evolving entertainment landscape. This includes collecting, building first party propriety data sources and putting it all into a single platform where fans, brands and partners can access seamlessly. Caruso says centralizing data and creating better accessibility is one of his top priorities while he focuses on product development and software innovation.
“We want to get this information in the hands of decision-makers and have them get what they need from it in any shape or form,” he added. “There’s a lot of business units and clients across Elevate. We must service them all with different solutions.”
Caruso, who ran Apollo as the co-founder before it was acquired by Stagwell in 2022, said his product and engineering teams won’t just be tasked to bolster the full-service firm’s offerings to existing clients in the sports and entertainment industry but also will be forward-looking in their approach to software implementation with potential new clients. Elevate continues to expand as it serves brands in talent, sponsorship marketing and other various partnerships.
The Caruso executive appointment comes one year after a string of major acquisitions that grew the firm’s premium hospitality and talent advisory business. This year, Elevate plans to open new headquarters in New York City, London, Nashville and Chicago. The elevated presence in the Windy City is through its connection with new limited partner Levy.
