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Jim McKelvey Books

1 book·~10 min total read

Jim McKelvey is an American entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist best known as the co-founder of Square, a financial services and mobile payment company. He is also a glassblowing artist and founder of LaunchCode, a nonprofit organization that helps people learn programming and find jobs in technology.

Known for: The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time

Books by Jim McKelvey

The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time

The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time

entrepreneurship·10 min read

In this book, Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square, explores how world-changing companies are built not by copying others but by creating a unique 'innovation stack'—a series of interlocking inventions that together form an unassailable advantage. Drawing from his experience building Square and studying other groundbreaking businesses, McKelvey reveals how entrepreneurs can embrace uncertainty, solve problems creatively, and build something truly original.

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Key Insights from Jim McKelvey

1

Defining the Innovation Stack

When I use the phrase 'innovation stack,' I mean more than a clever concept. Imagine a system built not of single genius ideas, but of interlocking inventions—each one created out of necessity, each dependent on those before it. No single piece explains the whole, but together, they make a structure...

From The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time

2

The Square Origin Story

The origin of Square begins with a personal frustration. My co-founder Jack Dorsey and I watched as talented small business owners—artists, craftspeople, café owners—lost sales because they couldn’t accept credit cards. The financial system was designed to exclude them. To us, that was insane. Why s...

From The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time

About Jim McKelvey

Jim McKelvey is an American entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist best known as the co-founder of Square, a financial services and mobile payment company. He is also a glassblowing artist and founder of LaunchCode, a nonprofit organization that helps people learn programming and find jobs in te...

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Jim McKelvey is an American entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist best known as the co-founder of Square, a financial services and mobile payment company. He is also a glassblowing artist and founder of LaunchCode, a nonprofit organization that helps people learn programming and find jobs in technology.

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Jim McKelvey is an American entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist best known as the co-founder of Square, a financial services and mobile payment company. He is also a glassblowing artist and founder of LaunchCode, a nonprofit organization that helps people learn programming and find jobs in technology.

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