John Collison
John Collison (born 1990) is an Irish billionaire entrepreneur. He is best known for having co-founded Stripe with his brother, Patrick. The brothers are worth at least $3.2 billion each, after San Francisco-based Stripe raised $150 million from CapitalG, an investment division of Google's parent company Alphabet Inc., and General Catalyst Partners. The brothers hold a controlling interest in Stripe and will be able to retain control should the company go public.[2]
John Collison | |
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Collison at the WebSummit | |
Born | Dromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland | August 6, 1990
Nationality | Irish |
Education | Castletroy College |
Alma mater | Harvard University |
Known for | Auctomatic; Croma; Stripe |
Net worth | US$3.2 billion (February 2020)[1] |
Relatives | Patrick Collison (brother) |
Biography
In 2007, Collison founded "Shuppa" with his older brother Patrick in Limerick, Ireland.[3] The company later merged with Auctomatic, which was funded by Y Combinator,[4] and Collison moved to Silicon Valley.
Auctomatic was a software company that built tools for the eBay platform.[5] The company was also funded by Chris Sacca.[6] Auctomatic was acquired for $5 million in March 2008, when Collison was 17.[7][8][9][10]
In 2009, Collison (having returned to finish secondary school at Castletroy College) received 8 A1 and 2 A2 grades in the Irish Leaving Certificate examination. He continued to study at Harvard University, commencing his studies in September 2009.[11] Collison is a pilot[12] and a pianist.[13]
In 2010, Collison co-founded Stripe, which received backing from Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, and Sequoia Capital.[14]
In November 2016, the Collison brothers became the world's youngest self-made billionaires, worth at least $1.1 billion, after an investment in Stripe from CapitalG and General Catalyst valued the company at $9.2 billion.[15]. In the same year, 2016, John was ranked by Forbes the 15th in the list America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40. [16]
In 2018, Stripe, under the direction of the Collison brothers, contributed $1 million to California YIMBY, a pro-housing development lobbying organization. The Collison brothers are citizens of Ireland.[17]
References
- "John Collison". Forbes. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- Rudegeair, Peter (26 September 2018). "Payments Fintech Stripe Valued at $20 Billion in Latest Funding Round" – via www.wsj.com.
- "Shuppa Bebo profile". Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- "Frequently Asked Questions". www.ycombinator.com.
- "Auctomatic launches better tools for eBay powersellers". 22 October 2007.
- "Thank You, Auctomatic". Chris Sacca's 'What is left?'.
- McDonald, Henry (28 March 2008). "The Guardian". London, UK.
- "Getting right down to business in TY". The Irish Times. 4 April 2008.
- "BBC News". 27 March 2008.
- McBride, Louise (28 December 2008). "The Irish Independent".
- "Harvard next on menu for knowledge-hungry dot.com high flyer". The Irish Times. 9 September 2009.
- "40 under 40". 20 November 2011.
- "The Irish Times". 9 September 2009.
- "Stealth Payment Startup Stripe Backed By PayPal Founders". 28 March 2011.
- Mac, Ryan. "Stripe Investment Makes Cofounder The World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire". Forbes. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- "America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 2016". 12 December 2016.
- "Tech CEO housing crisis". www.bizjournals.com. 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2020.