McKinsey Leap

McKinsey Leap is the firm’s dedicated business-building practice, helping organizations design, launch, and scale new businesses at speed. Combining McKinsey’s deep industry expertise with agile methodologies, Leap supports clients in creating innovative ventures, from idea generation to market launch. With a focus on strategy, design, and execution, Leap empowers companies to disrupt markets and unlock sustainable growth, having driven over 600 business builds, including 20+ unicorns or decacorns created over the last 6 years!

What is McKinsey Leap?

Although each build is different, McKinsey teams work together in sprints to move forward fast, helping clients to bring their visions to life. Unlike traditional consulting projects, Leap by McKinsey specifically focuses on bringing clients from 0 to 1, working across multiple stages to ideate, design, pilot, and iterate on new business ideas. Whether it’s a corporate venture or an entirely new spinoff, McKinsey pulls in its consulting expertise alongside its deep business-building and digital benches to effectively leverage cross-functional skills. Leap by McKinsey boasts a collaborative client experience, diverse network of experts, and focused use of tools to form a team of start-up builders that are integrated with the clients.

Leap Academy: Product Owner Accelerator

Leap Academy is a specialized program by McKinsey Leap designed to empower professionals with the skills and knowledge to excel as product owners. The program focuses on building expertise in product strategy, agile development, and customer-centric innovation. Participants learn to manage product lifecycles, prioritize features, and align cross-functional teams to deliver value. With hands-on training and real-world applications, the accelerator prepares individuals to lead product teams and drive successful business outcomes, and graduates earn a certification upon completion.

Leap Careers

McKinsey Leap careers offer specialized roles for professionals dedicated to building and scaling new businesses. This includes a range of roles unique from the traditional consulting role, and more technically skillsets that are more traditionally associated with roles at big tech companies

Leap by McKinsey Jobs

McKinsey Leap jobs support almost every channel required to build a business. Build experts include roles such as venture builders, who lead the creation and growth of innovative ventures, and product owners, who oversee product strategy and execution. Agile coaches support teams in adopting agile methodologies, ensuring seamless collaboration and efficiency throughout the process.

Technical experts include roles such as engineers, developers, UX/UI designers, and data scientists, who build and optimize digital solutions and customer-centric designs while delivering data-driven insights.

Strategy & operations includes roles focused on defining go-to-market strategies, driving customer acquisition and retention, and establishing scalable operational models. These roles collectively empower individuals to create transformative businesses that thrive in a competitive market, blending innovation, entrepreneurship, and impactful delivery.

McKinsey Leap Salary

McKinsey Leap Salary roles vary based on job nature and on region. For specialized experts, salary ranges are like those on the expert or specialty consulting tracks. The compensation may be slightly lower than those for similar roles at tech firms (e.g., UI/UX, engineering), but competitive relative to similar business and corporate firms. Leap by McKinsey salaries are also generally lower than the regional generalist consultant counterparts; however, they may have additional flexibility in terms of staffing and working structure.

Check out our Consulting Salaries Report for salaries across hundreds of firms.

How to Prepare for a Role at Leap by McKinsey

The McKinsey Leap interview process is like the traditional McKinsey interview process, which may include both case/technical and behavioral interviews. The exact interview format varies by role; for example, those interviewing for engineering roles may be given a coding-specific case to complete rather than the traditional consulting case.

Candidates should prepare by structuring their technical and behavioral interview answers, as well as specifics on why Leap by McKinsey is a better fit for the candidate versus alternative roles at large tech firms. In addition, given McKinsey’s strong emphasis on clarity of communication and structuring, it will still be helpful to practice traditional case interview questions to demonstrate the capability of working with the rest of the McKinsey teams. Luckily, Management Consulted McKinsey coaches will help to deepen your preparation and optimize the chances of your success during the interview process.

Conclusion

Leap by McKinsey is a pioneering service at the intersection of business building and technology, empowering organizations to design, launch, and scale innovative ventures with speed and impact. By combining McKinsey’s strategic expertise with cutting-edge digital and agile methodologies, McKinsey Leap helps businesses stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape. From concept to execution, Leap’s approach ensures sustainable growth and market disruption, enabling clients to unlock new opportunities and achieve transformational success.