Valrie Grant: Why Geography Shouldn’t Define Your Destiny

Growing up in a rural farming community in Jamaica, Valrie Grant saw firsthand how geography could limit someone’s future. But she also knew it didn’t have to be that way.

“My passion has always been in creating meaningful change through technology,”

Today, she’s a geospatial scientist, entrepreneur, and strategy consultant using satellite data, mapping tools, and AI to drive climate resilience and disaster risk reduction across the Caribbean and beyond.

Her journey into this work wasn’t exactly planned. “I’m a geologist by training,” she explains, “and a geospatial scientist by pure accident.” A summer job turned career path led her to pursue a master’s in GIS and Environment in the UK, where she found a global community of like-minded people using geography for good.

As founder of GeoTechVision and Jamaica Flying Labs, Valrie is building a digital future for underserved communities, especially young people. Through hands-on training in drones and mapping technologies, she’s seen what access and mentorship can do.

“One young woman we trained is now a YouthMappers ambassador. Others I’ve mentored have become GIS managers in different countries,” she shares. “I’ve seen the impact of what that does.”

But her proudest moment came 22 years after she helped launch Jamaica’s first national GIS Day. This year, she returned—as the keynote speaker. “It was a full-circle moment,” she says. “It shows that even in our small ways we can contribute to nation building.”

The road hasn’t been easy. As one of the first woman-owned geospatial companies in the Caribbean, GeoTechVision faced uphill battles in funding, awareness, and acceptance of new technology. At one point, a major contract loss nearly shut them down. “It brought us to our knees,” Valrie admits. “But we continue to press on.”

That persistence is part of what she calls her superpower. “Sometimes you have to do it afraid,” she says.

“This is not a sprint—it’s a marathon. It’s those consistent daily actions that will get you across the finish line.”

Now serving as Vice Chair of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management Private Sector Network, Valrie is helping shape how countries and companies work together to solve global problems.

Through it all, she’s learned to pivot, to listen, and to trust—but with discernment. “I would have been a better judge of character early in my career,” she reflects. “We assumed people always had good intentions. That’s something we learned the hard way.”

Still, Valrie is driven by a deep belief: that no one’s location should limit their potential.

“Geography should not dictate destiny,”