The Last Goal of Marc Ganzi

Mr. Ganzi: horse lover and global telecommunications guru.

Marc Ganzi is one of the most important patrons of modern polo. Among his many achievements in the sport, he is responsible for positioning Aspen as a summer destination. Together with his wife Melissa, they have transformed the picturesque mountain town of Colorado—a classic winter getaway for the global jet set, synonymous with snow, luxury, and Hollywood celebrities—by gradually painting it green with the opening of the Aspen Valley Polo Club back in 2013. That was when the Ganzis bought the 15-acre equestrian facility in the central valley, formerly known as Preshana Farms, for $1.85 million to build a single polo field. That same year, Ganzi sold a cellphone-tower company for a reported price of $4.8 billion.

The club's growth has been strategic and significant. By 2017, Ganzi and supporters acquired an additional 100 acres for $7.2 million. Today, the Aspen Valley Polo Club boasts a vibrant summer season designed to transcend the sport itself, hosting a variety of events to engage newcomers. Its calendar is highlighted by major fundraisers, such as the annual benefit for the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation.

This Colorado venture is complemented by their world-class facilities in Palm Beach, Florida: the Grand Champions Polo Club. A winter home for the sport’s elite, Grand Champions hosts a diverse array of tournaments, including the International Gay Polo Tournament, Women’s Championship Tournament, and several junior events. The Ganzis are also staunch supporters of the National Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame.

Away from the pitch, Ganzi’s acumen is equally formidable. An alumnus of the prestigious Wharton School of Business, he founded and leads DigitalBridge, a leading global digital infrastructure asset manager with over $20 billion in assets under management. The company invests in a wide array of critical assets, including data centers, cell towers, and fiber networks.

DigitalBridge’s latest project, a mega-campus in Shackelford County, Texas, named Frontier, underscores this focus. The 1,200-acre facility will eventually deliver 1.4 gigawatts of capacity through ten data centers spanning 3.7 million square feet. With construction underway and the first building slated to open in late 2026, Frontier is expected to create over 5,000 jobs and make a substantial contribution to the local and state economy.

In a recent earnings presentation, Ganzi outlined the company's ambitious investment strategy. "We will invest over $50 billion in the coming years in projects connected to our external battery," he stated, referring to the company's expansive portfolio. DigitalBridge anticipates a total capital investment of $43 billion by the end of 2026. The operation will be executed through Vantage Data Centers, a company in the DataBridge portfolio.

Ganzi provided investors with a clear breakdown of the costs and scale involved: “Building one gigawatt of data center capacity requires approximately $10 billion in total capital. With the right loan-to-value ratio, about half of that is equity. Applying this to DigitalBridge’s current pipeline of 5.4 gigawatts, the figures are staggering: over $50 billion in total investment, more than $25 billion in invested equity, with DigitalBridge controlling approximately two-thirds of the ownership in these platforms.

For Ganzi, this massive infrastructure build-out is a direct response to the defining challenges of a new technological era. "At DigitalBridge," he says, "we see power and scale as the defining challenges of the AI era". From directing plays on the polo field to powering the future of AI, Marc Ganzi continues to drive ambitious ventures where precision, strategy, and immense scale converge.