JIM HAMILTON
Co-CEO & Founder
Jim Hamilton is a dynamic operational leader and entrepreneur with an extensive career in "C-level" executive management, international retail, global sourcing, e-commerce, marketing and advertising, public and investor relations, finance, operations, logistics, technology innovation and portfolio management.
Hamilton is president and CEO of the global investment and consulting company, Identity Ventures LLC. Hamilton has assisted many companies with worldwide go-to-market planning and execution, capital raising, product development, and global sourcing initiatives. One of those companies is the dynamic PowerMat Ltd, where Hamilton served as co-CEO and vice chairman of the board of directors. PowerMat is now marketed as Procter and Gamble’s - Duracell PowerMat. Hamilton is also Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Dallas Gupta College of Business and Advisor to the University's Entrepreneurship Society.
With more than 25 years of experience in retail and consumer electronics, Hamilton has served as Corporate Vice President of the Channels Group (Retail, Distribution, Education, and Enterprise) for Motorola Mobility (a subsidiary of Google. Prior to that, Hamilton was Executive Vice President of the $5.3 Billion, RadioShack Corporation, where he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s merchandising, marketing, product development, global sourcing, and industrial design firm. While at RadioShack, Hamilton also held the titles of Director and Vice Chairman of Tandy Electronics Limited (China), President of Tandy Holdings and President of Tandy International Corporation
In 1997, Hamilton co-founded Argoquest which acquired equity interests in over 30 Israeli-based technology companies. In his role, he provided strategic product development, business strategy expertise and used his extensive Rolodex to open doors for the start-up companies. Principal investors in Argoquest included Broadcom Corporation, HSBC Holdings Plc., and Shamrock Holdings of California Inc., (Roy Disney). Argoquest's portfolio yielded two IPOs (BreezeCom and PowerDsine) prior to the IPO market bubble bursting in 2000.
While Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing at the award-winning computer superstore chain Computer City, a division of the Tandy Corporation (RadioShack), revenues increased from $300 Million to over $2.2 Billion and the store count increased from 37 to over 130 locations in five countries. Computer City received many industry and trade awards and was recognized as the “Second Fastest Retailer to hit $1 Billion in Sales
Hamilton is known as one of the “Fathers of Mass Computer Retailing”, as he co-founded and managed three of the top five computer retailers in the formative years of the computer industry and was instrumental in assisting and launching at retail, hundreds of brands like; Apple, IBM, Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Western Digital, Microsoft and Intel to the mass market. He is widely recognized for his experience in helping shape the high-tech industry and has served on the executive councils of most major computer vendors including Intel, Microsoft, Apple, and IBM.
In addition, Hamilton held key senior executive merchandising and marketing positions with Circuit City and Montgomery Ward.
Hamilton has been recognized in the "International Who's Who in Business Professionals" and serves as Area President of the Boy Scouts of American and Immediate Past President of Longhorn Council. Hamilton has served on the Board of Industry Leaders of the Consumer Electronics Association and the Grapevine Colleyville School Board. Hamilton is an Eagle Scout, Vigil Honor Member of the Order of the Arrow and is a recipient of the Silver Buffalo, James E. West Fellowship and the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award.
Hamilton holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Dallas, Certification in Entrepreneurship Essentials from Harvard Business School, Masters Certification in Internet Marketing from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts Degree, from Northeastern Illinois University.