Jim McKelvey

James Morgan McKelvey Jr.
Born	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, businessman, glass artist
Years active	1989–present
Known for	Co-founder of Block, Inc.; co-founder of Third Degree Glass Factory; co-founder of LaunchCode
Notable work	Co-founding Square (now Block, Inc.), Mira Conference Inc., Third Degree Glass Factory, Invisibly, LaunchCode

James Morgan McKelvey Jr. (born ) is a billionaire entrepreneur from the United States and a co-founder of Block, Inc.. In January 2017, he was named an independent director at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. By July 2023, his estimated net worth reached approximately US$2 billion.

Early life

McKelvey was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed his secondary education at Ladue Horton Watkins High School before earning degrees in economics and computer science from Washington University in St. Louis. Early in his professional journey, he worked as an IBM contractor in both Los Angeles and St. Louis, while also teaching glassblowing and establishing Disconcepts, a company specializing in CD cabinet manufacturing.

Mira Conference Inc.

In 1989, McKelvey, along with colleagues from Washington University, launched Mira in St. Louis to create a commercial document imaging solution. Among their team was summer intern Jack Dorsey, who would later become a co-founder of Twitter, contributing to the development of this technology.

Third Degree Glass Factory

Together with Doug Auer, McKelvey co-founded Third Degree Glass Factory in St. Louis in 2002. This establishment functions as both a glass art gallery and an event venue, merging artistic creativity with entrepreneurial management.

Block, Inc. (formerly Square, Inc.)

McKelvey co-founded Square in 2009 alongside Jack Dorsey. Early hardware development saw contributions from Professor Robert Morley. The design of Square’s card reader was honored by its inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art’s collection in 2011. McKelvey held the position of chairman until 2010 and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of Block, Inc. as of 2023.

Invisibly

In June 2016, McKelvey established Invisibly, a company focused on empowering consumers to earn revenue through sharing their online data.

The Federal Reserve

Appointed as an Independent Director at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in 2017, McKelvey was elevated to chairperson in January 2022.

Downtown North

Since 2019, McKelvey and his business partner John Berglund have been instrumental in advancing Downtown North, an Urban Insight District project in St. Louis managed via Starwood Group.

LaunchCode

McKelvey co-founded LaunchCode in September 2013, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating technology talent by offering paid apprenticeships to individuals without conventional qualifications. LaunchCode collaborates with businesses to provide practical training and employment opportunities. The Riverfront Times recognized it as "The Best Thing to Happen to St. Louis" in 2014. In 2019, the organization secured a $300,000 grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to broaden its educational initiatives.

Philanthropy

In 2016, McKelvey contributed $15 million toward Washington University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, funding the construction of a new computer science and engineering facility named after his father. In acknowledgment of his generosity, the school was renamed the McKelvey School of Engineering in 2019.