As Dave’s co-founding partner at Capria, I could share so many things about Dave, but I’ll focus today on the highlights.

Dave always liked to point out that we first met in a courtroom in 2002 when he was with Real Networks and I was leading Microsoft’s competing media business. When Dave and I actually met almost 15 years ago, we laughed about our past roles, and immediately bonded over a common passion for teaching people to fish.

Of course, I say that metaphorically. While Dave probably could teach people to catch actual fish, I’m a lost cause at that. What really inspired us then, and continued to inspire us until the end, was not giving handouts to people, but providing them with economic tools to be successful. More specifically, we wanted to help entrepreneurs.  But not just any entrepreneurs. Dave especially was committed to helping founders with big ideas build, profitable businesses that provide products, services, and/or jobs at massive scale. One could say that about most any venture capitalist that’s looking to invest in the next Amazon, or to get a piece of the next disruptor like AirBNB. But Dave was different. From the early 2000’s, Dave was primarily focused on companies that serve large low- and middle-income populations in emerging markets. This focus stayed with him for the rest of his life.

In 2010, Dave and I started collaborating while helping founders in the Seattle area where we co-created Social Ventures Partners’ Fast Pitch – teaching everyone from high school entrepreneurs to startup founders to accomplished NGO leaders how to get their message across in three minutes. Hence, the length of this address, about 3 minutes if tears hold back…

In 2012, Dave asked me to join hm as a co-founder to build what’s now Capria Ventures. And as they say, the rest is history. Capria is focused on exactly the mission I just described, working across the Global South. And that’s where I had the privilege of spending the last 13 years working shoulder to shoulder with Dave, pursuing that mission.

When people talk about Dave, they often refer to his sharp intellect, his attention to detail, his kindness, and his deep caring for humanity. But not everyone realizes how he applied those and many more admirable traits, throughout his professional life. One example was Dave’s practice of the Japanese principle of Kaizen, in which small, continuous, incremental changes lead to significant long-term improvements. Kaizen comes from Japanese words “Kai” (which means change) and “Zen” (which means good or for the better), combined to mean “change for the better.” 

That’s what Dave committed the last 25 years of his life to do – to change the world for the better. Selflessly, passionately, and with conviction and a work ethic that set an example for all of us to follow. 

The world has lost a great man. We will miss him every day as we work to realize his vision.

Will Poole, August 22, 2025