Dave Duarte

05/04/2026

Happy and blessed Easter! We had so many people getting confirmed and baptised at the Easter vigil last night. It was my honour to be a sponsor to four young men stepping into new life. Keep them - and all people learning to walk in the way if love and resurrection - in your prayers.

05/09/2025

I got to share some of my entrepreneurial journey at Civitas last night, and what a joy that was to connect with a group of entrepreneurs investing proactively to grow their network, share their experiences, and get better at what they do.

The session took an unexpected turn right at the start when the first question was "how do you manage your ego?"

It came because I shared how I blew up one of my businesses because I overvalued my own contribution and undervalued my business partner's. I was grinding away as an event organiser, and he simply brought his friends to the party, but we shared profits. After a few successful events, I kicked him out the business, and the whole thing collapsed - turns out a great party is not just about the DJ and venue, it's also about who attends. He was the super-connector, and he didn't need to work hard to add a ton of value.

I learned from this mistake, and since then I've always aimed to be the one who brings the right people to the party. One of my business mantras is "You think you're looking for an opportunity, but you're actually looking for a person".

So, to answer the question about how I manage my ego? Unfortunately for me, the best way to learn humility is by being humbled. But it’s also the way I learn. And I think that is ultimately what keeps me coming back: this entrepreneurship thing is a constant process of becoming.

23/06/2025

8 years ago today Elaine & I adopted little Ori, a rescued whippet from Sighthound Rescue SA. To say this little being changed our lives would be an understatement.

Her emotional intelligence, loyalty, playfulness and joy. She's a big reason Elaine and I went vegan in 2019, as we realised that animal sentience is undeniable.

She also got me out walking every day, not to mention running and sprinting. Athlete that she is. And we've made good friends as a result of this rhythm.

Ori was very shy at first, except with other sighthounds, so with Francois Irvine we started a little meet-up group called, Sighthound Sundays. Years later that group has a life of its own with hundreds of people who meet regularly, rescue and find other dogs, sell doggy clothing, and make friends all around Cape Town.

has been a joy every single day and I love her with my whole heart. Happy adoptiversary my beloved hound 🐾

30/05/2025

What a week in Mauritius!

We did an executive deep dive, AI strategy for leaders. A no-hype, human-in-the-loop course on how businesses can practically start applying AI.

Mauritius is ranked first in Africa for AI readiness, with many companies putting together task teams to lead the change as part of the “smart island” vision.

With that in mind, I partnered with the KIP Center, where we explored:

- individual productivity, from LLMs to enterprise ready AI apps;
- identifying processes AI can improve, and practically mapping that out to get the ball rolling;
- understanding broadly what the tech can do, and how to keep up.
- the regulatory, privacy and security protocols
- and then where this is all going.

It feels like all the work I did for years on digital transformation was just a warmup for this.

22/03/2025

05/08/2024

We got married this weekend!

Elaine and I have been together for almost 17 years, and love each other deeply. Getting married makes it official. This is us for life.

We kept it simple so that the focus would be on our love and the sacrament of marriage. Thanks to our friends, family and community it was beautiful too, with an abundance of delicious food and drink, magnificent flowers, singing, and an outpouring of generosity in the form of gifts and messages. We're overwhelmed in the best way.

The best adventures are made possible when we commmit. We don't expect the road to always be easy but we will face whatever comes together, and invite you ALL to be part of that.

21/11/2023

Today is Entrepreneurs Day! And I got some good news:

Exclusive Books is including "The Book Every Entrepreneur Has to Read" for their 2023 Christmas campaign.

It's packed with helpful advice from me and other South African founders.

04/08/2022

The first few years of life are the most crucial for learning and cognitive development.

Finding Thabo, a solution developed by the Reach Trust , packs an incredible amount of learning into a fun, accessible package.

We're keen to chat with brands who are interested in partnering. Watch here:

16/11/2021

"Don't put yourself down just to avoid criticism, to please others, or to show your "kindness". The world needs light, not mediocrity‏" - Paolo Coelho

11/11/2021

Most importantly, keep your word to yourself.

06/09/2021

First time I'm encountering the pronouns "Ze/Hir" in an event sign-up form.

These are gender-neutral neo-pronouns that can help people feel more accepted when more people actually use them.

Would be good to see more use of these in the media and in advertising.