​Presented by the UBC Sauder Centre for Climate and Business Solutions as part of Canada Climate Week XChange (Nov 23–29, 2026)

​Note: This event is open to UBC students, faculty, and staff only. If you are not affiliated with UBC, please join our public event on November 24 at 5:00 PM instead.

​What does it take to build a global technology company, and then use that experience to help protect the planet?

​Join Lightspeed founder, conservationist and UBC alumnus Dax Dasilva for a candid, student-led Ask Me Anything. After building Lightspeed from a startup into a global technology company and leading it through a $1.7-billion IPO, Dax founded the conservation nonprofit Age of Union to protect threatened species, habitats and ecosystems around the world.

​His journey has taken him from technology and entrepreneurship to conservation projects around the world, collaborations with the late Dr. Jane Goodall and Indigenous leaders protecting the Amazon, and storytelling through books and documentary film.

​Bring your questions about entrepreneurship, career pivots, technology, creativity, conservation, leadership and building a life with purpose.

​Agenda:

​11:45 AM - Arrival and check-in
12:15 PM -  Welcome remarks & introductions
12:25 PM - Talk and fireside chat with Dax Dasilva
1:30 PM - Book signing & Networking

​About the Book

Echoes from Eden: A Daring Voyage to Protect Earth's Last Wild Places

​From the embattled forests of Clayoquot Sound to the helm of a global tech empire, Dax Dasilva has always harbored a heart fiercely attuned to nature’s calls. In Echoes from Eden, he chronicles the transformative juncture of his life during a global pandemic—a time when the natural world faced unprecedented threats due to halted conservation efforts.

​Dasilva’s journey takes readers to the world’s vanishing frontiers, where he joins forces with legendary conservationists like Dr. Jane Goodall in the Amazon, Dr. Russ Mittermeier in Madagascar, and Dr. Kerry Bowman in the Congo. Each page of Echoes from Eden is a testament to the tenacity of those battling to safeguard our planet’s precious biodiversity.

​The first 50 students to check in at the event will receive a free copy of the book!

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​If you are not affiliated with UBC, we invite you to join our public evening event instead Can Good Storytelling Change Our Climate Future? A Conversation with Dax Dasilva.