[7][8][9] Dasilva was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia[9] to parents who had fled the regime of Idi Amin in Uganda as refugees in 1972.

[6] In February 2022, Dasilva moved to the role of executive chairman of the board from CEO in order to concentrate on environmental and equality projects for the company.

[7] In 1993, Dasilva participated in the Clayoquot “War in the Woods” protests in Vancouver[8] to oppose old growth forest[7][8] logging[9] and clearcutting.

[4] Following the movement of Lightspeed’s company headquarters in 2015, Dasilva converted the Mile-Ex warehouse that had previously been its headquarters into a nonprofit cultural and arts space[7] called “Never Apart.”[2] In 2021, Dasilva donated $40 million[8] to found the non-profit “Age of Union”,[7] an organization that focuses on global conservation and climate change efforts,[20] with projects in Canada,[7][21] Peru, Indonesia, and Congo.

[22] Dasilva came out as gay at age fourteen,[2] and has credited the assistance he received at the time from LGBTQ support centers in Vancouver for helping to frame his philanthropic aims.