Jim McKelvey

Jim McKelvey

American billionaire businessman

James "Jim" Morgan McKelvey Jr. (born 1965 or 1966) is a New York City-based, American, billionaire, and businessman, who co-founded Block, Inc.(formerly Square).2

From Wikipedia’s article on Jim McKelvey (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Oct 19, 1965.1

About

He is a Board Director at Emerson Electric.

McKelvey was appointed as an independent director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in January 2017. As of September 2026, his net worth was estimated at US$1.8 billion.

From Wikipedia’s article on Jim McKelvey, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedLadue Horton Watkins High School3
  • Date not recordedWashington University in St. Louis3

James Morgan McKelvey Jr. was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Ladue Horton Watkins High School.

He later graduated from Washington University, in St. Louis with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Computer Science.

From Wikipedia’s article on Jim McKelvey (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: entrepreneur, computer scientist.7

  • Since 2009Founded Block, Inc.6
  • Date not recordedFounded MADE4
  • Date not recordedFounded LaunchCode5

Early career

McKelvey wrote and published a handbook on UCSD Pascal and Apple Pascal in 1986. Following his Washington University graduation, McKelvey worked as a contractor for IBM in Los Angeles and in St. Louis. At the same time, he worked as a glassblowing instructor and founded Disconcepts, a CD-cabinet manufacturer.

MIRA Conference Inc.

In 1989, McKelvey and a team of software engineers from Washington University, established MIRA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in St. Louis. Their inaugural product, a commercial document imaging system, was partly developed by their summer intern Jack Dorsey, who would later rise to prominence as the co-founder of Twitter.

Third Degree Glass Factory

In 2000, after giving a glassblowing demonstration at WUSTL, McKelvey met Doug Auer. In 2002, they founded Third Degree Glass Factory in St. Louis, a glass art studio and gallery which also provides space for private events.

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Block, Inc. (formerly known as Square, Inc.)

In 2009, McKelvey co-founded Block, Inc. with Jack Dorsey. McKelvey had the inspiration of starting Block, Inc. when he was trying to sell something made at his glass studio to a customer, and he lost the sale, as he was unable to accept credit card as a form of payment.

Professor Robert Morley made valuable early contributions to the hardware used by Square in 2009. In 2011, the iconic card reader design was inducted into the Museum of Modern Art. McKelvey served as Square's chairman until 2010.

As of July 2023, McKelvey sits on the Board of Directors at Block, Inc.

Invisibly

In June 2016, McKelvey founded Invisibly, a company seeking to allow consumers to profit from their online data. The company advertises itself as a media agency that is, "built for brands and agencies who want senior level strategy and buying without the operational cost and headaches of building or maintaining an in house team."

The Federal Reserve and FINTOP

In 2017, McKelvey was appointed as an Independent Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In January 2022, McKelvey was named as chair.

In 2017, McKelvey also co-founded Financial Technology Operative Partners Venture (FINTOP) Capital, a Venture capital firm, specialising in B2B fintech companies. He remains as a General Partner of the company.

Downtown North

Since 2019, McKelvey and real estate partner, John Berglund, worked through the StarWood Group, on the development of Downtown North, a neighborhood in St. Louis.

Emerson Electric

As of 2 May 2023, MeKelvey is a Board Director of Emerson Electric, a multinational automation and electrical equipment company.

Non-profit work

LaunchCode

In September 2013, McKelvey co-founded LaunchCode, a non-profit organization that aims to grow new talent and create pathways to on-the-job training and employment. LaunchCode partners with companies to set up paid apprenticeships in technology for talented people who lack the traditional credentials to land a quality, high-paying job. In 2014, LaunchCode was named "The Best Thing to Happen to St. Louis" by the St. Louis Riverfront Times. In February 2019, LaunchCode received a $300,000 grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to support education programming.

From Wikipedia’s article on Jim McKelvey (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornOct 19, 1965, St. Louis8
  • CitizenshipUnited States9
  • ResidenceSan Francisco10

Philanthropy

In 2016, McKelvey donated $15 million to the Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science to build a new computer science and engineering building, named after his father. In 2019, Washington University's engineering school was renamed the McKelvey School of Engineering.

From Wikipedia’s article on Jim McKelvey (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

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