Jim McKinley
Principal
A Founding Partner of 360Partners, Jim McKinley has a wide range of experience in online marketing, small company growth and technology.
Prior to 360Partners, Jim was a Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing & Sales of venture-backed startup SmartPrice, Inc. (www.SmartPrice.com) in Austin, Texas. With over 200,000 customers, SmartPrice.com is a free service that helps businesses and consumers compare, select and manage telecommunication services like long distance, local, and wireless. Typically, the company saves customers 35% or more on these services. The company was founded while Jim was an entrepreneur in residence at SSM Ventures.
Prior to SmartPrice.com, Jim worked for The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Dallas, focusing on strategic and marketing issues in the high tech and utility industries, including:
- Assisting in the development of an internet e-commerce strategy for a large online travel website
- Restructuring the marketing process and leading the implementation of a new marketing organization for a billion-dollar natural gas utility
- Leading the worldwide market analysis of a Japanese engineering company that resulted in the redeployment of $100 million into higher potential business units
Jim has also served as an information technology consultant for Andersen Consulting, where he designed computer applications, interfaces and associated business operations for Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.
Jim earned his MBA with high honors from the University of Chicago, with concentrations in Marketing Management and Finance. He also completed a BBA in Marketing and Management from Baylor University, summa cum laude. Jim currently serves as an informal advisor to several small companies in the Austin area and enjoys running, basketball, travel and spending time with his family.
