Who founded Stripe

Stripe was founded in 2010 by Patrick Collison and John Collison, two brothers from Ireland who still run the company.

• Patrick Collison: Born in September 1988, he is Stripe's co-founder and chief executive officer, handling engineering and serving as the company's public face.
• John Collison: Born in August 1990, he is Stripe's co-founder and president, overseeing operations and the growth of the business.

The brothers' story before and after starting the company:

• Early years: The Collisons grew up near Limerick in Ireland and developed the idea for Stripe while studying at college in the United States.
• First startup: Before Stripe, they co-founded Auctomatic, a startup that was acquired in 2008.
• Purpose of Stripe: They built Stripe to make accepting payments online simpler for developers and businesses, and it lets businesses and individuals take payments over the internet.
• Other work: Patrick Collison is also a co-founder of the Arc Institute, which he started in 2021 alongside his role at Stripe.

Readers weighing Stripe vs PayPal international payments 2025 options often start with who is behind each company, and in Stripe's case both founders still hold its top two roles.