James G. 'Jim' Coulter is an American billionaire businessman and financier, best known as the co-founder and executive chairman of TPG Inc., a leading global private investment firm originally established as Texas Pacific Group in 1992. He has served as Co-CEO of TPG Capital since its founding, overseeing global investments in private equity, impact, and real estate. Born on December 1, 1959, in Buffalo, New York, and raised in Medford, New Jersey, in a Methodist family, Coulter is the son of Shirley (née Nagler) and James W. Coulter, a chemical salesman for Chevron. He graduated from Shawnee High School in Medford and then summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1982, where he was a member of Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity and elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Coulter subsequently earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1986, where he was named an Arjay Miller Scholar.

After beginning his career at Keystone Asset Management from 1986 to 1992, Coulter co-founded TPG with classmate David Bonderman in 1992. Under his leadership, TPG has grown to manage nearly $300 billion in assets (with Source B noting over $95 billion across 16 offices in nine countries), investing in over 175 companies and pioneering impact investing through platforms like The Rise Fund ($13 billion in assets) and TPG Rise Climate, focused on climate change solutions. Coulter has been involved in major leveraged buyouts, including the 1993 Continental Airlines takeover, which yielded significant profits.

Coulter serves on numerous corporate and charitable boards, including those of Dartmouth College and Stanford University, and has previously sat on boards of public companies like Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Seagate Technology, and Lenovo (with Source B adding America West Airlines). Married to Penny Saer with three children, he resides in San Francisco, California, where TPG is headquartered alongside offices in Fort Worth and globally. His career reflects the evolution of private equity, from early sovereign wealth fund integrations to retail investor access, and he advocates for ESG and impact investing as core to modern finance. As of recent estimates, his net worth stands at approximately $5 billion, derived primarily from his stake in TPG.

While Coulter's professional achievements are well-documented, TPG has faced scrutiny in broader industry contexts, such as the 2019 U.S. college admissions scandal involving some private equity figures, though no direct allegations against Coulter are noted. His influence extends to philanthropy and education, underscoring a network rooted in finance, academia, and sustainable investment.