Visionary entrepreneur and environmental conservationist Dax Dasilva is the driving force behind publicly traded Lightspeed Commerce Inc. and the nonprofit Age of Union Alliance. Since establishing Lightspeed in 2005, Dasilva has transformed the company from a retail POS system into a global payments juggernaut, revolutionizing business operations in over 100 countries. His dedication to environmental preservation inspired him to write Age of Union in 2019, highlighting his commitment to mobilizing global activism. Following his $40 million pledge to support ten imperiled environmental projects worldwide, Dasilva embarked on a journey to the frontlines of conservation, producing several documentaries including The Corridor, CAUGHT, and Wildcat, with the latter winning the 2023 Emmy Award for Outstanding Nature Documentary.
Eric Hendrikx studied anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and forensic science and archaeology at San Diego State University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. As a journalist and author, he has written for Rolling Stone, Robb Report, and Men’s Journal, covering environmental conservation, motorcycle culture, and the intersections of art, music, and adventure.
His work has taken him through rural Vietnam, to the highest peaks of the Swiss Alps, and deep into the rainforests and ruins of Central America. He has documented the impact of illegal gold mining on Indigenous communities, interviewed icons like Keanu Reeves, Jason Momoa, and Danny Trejo, and written extensively on resilience, culture, and the natural world—an obsession that led him to co-author Echoes from Eden with Dax Dasilva, chronicling urgent conservation efforts around the globe.