Dax Dasilva
Combining technology, nature, leadership, culture, spirituality.
Dax Dasilva is a global entrepreneur, technology CEO, environmentalist, film producer, and author. He is recognized as the creative mind behind Lightspeed Commerce and Age of Union.
Technology Founded in 2005, Lightspeed is a one-stop commerce platform for ambitious entrepreneurs to accelerate growth, provide the best customer experience, and become a go-to destination in their space. It powers the world's best businesses in over 100 countries globally. Dasilva was reappointed as CEO on February 15, 2024. Prior to that, he served as Executive Chair of Lightspeed’s board of directors for two years, and previously led the company’s operations as Chief Executive Officer since its founding in 2005. Lightspeed employs thousands of staff, and powers hundreds of thousands of customer locations worldwide. During Dasilva’s leadership as CEO, the company went public in March 2019 on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol LSPD, becoming one of Canada’s top 10 technology IPOs. In September 2020, the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Lightspeed also undertook 9 acquisitions over the course of a four-year period to consolidate the global market and launch two, best-in-class flagship products: Lightspeed Retail and Lightspeed Restaurant.
“$40 million towards conservation efforts”
Nature In 2019, Dasilva released his debut book, Age of Union, as a compelling guide for igniting today's changemaker. This would later inspire Dasilva’s non-profit environmental alliance Age of Union that supports and makes visible a global community of changemakers working on the ground to protect the planet's threatened species and ecosystems. Age of Union launched in October 2021 with Dasilva’s initial pledge of $40 million towards conservation efforts that help solve critical environmental challenges around the world and inspire high-impact change by showing the positive impact that every individual can make. Since then, Age of Union has announced 10 global projects including the conservation of critically endangered biodiverse forests in Canada, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Peru, and the protection of important species such as leatherback turtles, orangutans, dolphins, lowland gorillas, and much more.
Culture Age of Union has also produced an array of short independent documentaries, including The Heart of a Mission, We Are the Saint Lawrence River, CAUGHT, and The Corridor. Since then, the alliance has launched the short YouTube film series On the Frontlines. Dasilva has also invested in numerous global films and is now an acclaimed executive producer, recognized with a 2023 Emmy award for his contribution to Wildcat. He continues to work on international film projects with renowned figures in the industry. In 2024, Dasilva releases his second book Echoes from Eden where he chronicles his battles to safeguard our planet’s precious biodiversity, joining forces with legendary conservationists like Dr. Jane Goodall in the Amazon, Dr. Russ Mittermeier in Madagascar, and Dr. Kerry Bowman in the Congo.
Spirituality In 2024, Dasilva launched The Black Hole Experience (BHX), a mobile immersive experience presented by Age of Union and with artist Kelly Nunes that draws inspiration from the physics and spiritual properties of black holes. The one-of-a-kind exhibition is a carbon-neutral “eco-portal,” featuring light, sound, and 3D mapped projection and has appeared at select outdoor venues across North America such as festivals, fairgrounds, city centres, museums, and universities in its debut Summer 2024 tour, including highlights such as New York Times Square, LA Climate Week and Toronto Pride.
association & affiliations
Jane Goodall Council for Hope The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI)
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