On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women who are breaking barriers in their industries—women like Sophronia McKenzie, the Founder and CEO of visuEats.
With a background in software project management, McKenzie has built visuEats into the Caribbean’s first digital food marketplace, offering restaurants and customers a visually engaging dining experience. Her journey, marked by resilience and innovation, has paved the way for even greater successes.
McKenzie’s inspiration for visuEats stemmed from her love for food imagery on social media. “I initially started visuEats because I wanted to have a replica of the experience I was having on social media, where you see food and you drool over it. I wanted to have that same experience at the restaurant by being able to see pictures of the menu items,” she explains.
Encouraged by a friend to leverage her tech background, McKenzie transformed a simple idea in 2018 into a fully-fledged project by 2020. By March 2023, visuEats had officially launched in Jamaica and has since expanded far beyond its original concept.
From its early days as a visual menu, visuEats has evolved into a comprehensive platform. “We built our own reservation system, our own payment processor—which is gold—and our valuation and value proposition have grown significantly,” says McKenzie. Today, visuEats includes visuKnock, a delivery driver app, and a robust backend for restaurant management. The platform’s built-in payment processor addresses a significant pain point for Caribbean merchants—delayed payments—ensuring that payments are processed efficiently.
“We offer a visual menu, reservations, online ordering for pickup, an integrated point-of-sale system, data-driven analytics, and so much more; this is just the beginning,” McKenzie highlights. Looking ahead to 2025, she is particularly excited about launching an online ordering system accessible directly through the website, eliminating the need to download the app.
Overcoming challenges in tech as a woman
Being a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated tech industry has come with its challenges. “I’ve been in tech for over a decade, and many times I’ve led meetings where I was completely ignored, simply because I’m a woman,” she recalls. When launching visuEats, a potential business partner even suggested she needed a male co-founder. “Years later, here I am—without a male co-founder—and we’re still here, growing!” she asserts.
Despite these challenges, McKenzie has remained steadfast, proving that competence and innovation outweigh gender biases. Her background as a project manager has been instrumental in her success. “The profit is in the process,” she emphasizes, underscoring the importance of structured workflows and scalable systems.
Her leadership philosophy revolves around empowerment and delegation. “Every team member at visuEats has a specific role. I’ve learned how to build and maintain a strong team. Delegation is key—accelerating action professionally means delegating so the business can grow,” she explains.
For women looking to break into tech, McKenzie’s advice is simple yet powerful: “Just do it. You don’t need to learn how to code—focus on your strengths and build a team to support you. There’s affordable talent available to help bring your vision to life.” She advocates for women supporting each other, networking, and leveraging diverse skill sets to drive success. “We need to stand in our power and work together to build stronger bonds,” she adds.
For Sophronia McKenzie, visuEats is more than just a business—it’s her passion. “Right now, visuEats is everything to me, both personal and business. I’m in my bubble, creating, and I’m very happy with my work,” she shares. As she continues to innovate and expand visuEats, her story serves as an inspiration to women in tech and entrepreneurship across the Caribbean and beyond.
