August 5th, 2026
Esri President Jack Dangermond Named Among Forbes 250 America’s Greatest Innovators

Mapping Technology Trailblazer Honored at America Innovates with Fellow Industry Leaders

 

• Esri announced that its president, Jack Dangermond, has been named one of the Forbes 250 America’s Greatest Innovators for his leadership in geographic information system (GIS) technology.
• Dangermond was honored at Forbes’ America Innovates event in San Francisco, which recognizes 250 US business leaders shaping new industries and transforming existing ones.
• Forbes recognized Dangermond’s role in developing mapping software that connects data to real-world location for better decision-making.

REDLANDS, Calif.— In May, Forbes recognized innovators in San Francisco as part of America Innovates, a three-day event that celebrates 250 business leaders who stand out as “the greatest living American innovators”. Esri president Jack Dangermond was among those honored for his development of Esri’s groundbreaking geographic information system (GIS) software.

“This is an honor that belongs to our entire community of users and staff, without whom the technology Esri built would not have been possible,” said Dangermond.

GIS reveals previously hidden patterns in vast amounts of data by connecting them to the real-world context of location. It’s behind the decision-making of countless organizations from wildfire response and global supply chain risk mitigation to conservation efforts.

America Innovates recognized leaders from transportation and finance to retail and consumer technology for bringing breakthroughs to market, transforming entire industries, and creating new ones.

Watch Jack Dangermond’s conversation with Forbes at America Innovates, as he explains how the word “where” inspired him to build the company behind the world’s most powerful digital maps: https://www.forbes.com/sites/premium-video/2026/05/22/2026-america-innovates–responsible-for-all-our-digital-maps-jack-dangermond-loves-the-word-where/.

 

About Esri

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofit institutions, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial technology and analytics, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions that leverage a geographic approach to solving some of the world’s most complex problems by placing them in the crucial context of location. Visit us at esri.com.

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