Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO reportedly identified as one of the victims in deadly Kenya chopper crash

Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO and Miami entrepreneur Roger Duarte reportedly died with six other people in a charter helicopter crash during his luxury safari trip in Northern Kenya on August 19, 2026. After news spread online, users started debating the story of the 'Forbes 30 Under 30 curse'. It is an informal social media tag used to describe several former honourees who later experienced legal issues, collapsed businesses, or personal misfortunes.

The 42-year-old businessman started his journey with six other passengers, and soon after the helicopter took off and left Loisaba Conservancy, it went down near Mount Olokokwe in Samburu County. Kenyan officials confirmed that no one survived, and investigations into the crash are still under process.

Continue reading more about the story of Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO.

Who was Roger Duarte?

Roger Duarte was one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 CEOs and a Miami food entrepreneur behind My Ceviche and George Stone Crab. He lived in Coral Gables with his wife Nicole Valls and their two young sons.

Duarte kicked off his career with investment banking but left the field at 24 to start his own Florida-based seafood export business named George Stone Crab. His business mainly focused on the export of stone crabs from the Florida Keys.

The company grew quickly and helped him to earn a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2016 after becoming one of the largest suppliers of Florida stone crabs to Latin America. Later, he expanded the business interest by creating the Miami restaurant brands Zuuk Mediterranean Kitchen and My Ceviche.

How did Duarte die?

Daily Mail reported that the Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO died in a charter helicopter yesterday while he was on his luxury safari trip in Northern Kenya. According to International Business Times UK, he was travelling with 6 other people when the helicopter went down near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County shortly after leaving Loisaba Conservancy. As per the Kenyan officials, no one survived the crash, but the investigating officers are doing their job to find out the cause of the crash.

According to confirmed reports from Kenyan officials, the list of the victims is given below: