# John Collison

> John Collison is the President and co-founder of Stripe, the Irish-American payments giant he built with his brother Patrick from their rural Tipperary roots into a $159 billion fintech colossus processing $1.9 trillion annually. He sold his first company at 17, dropped out of Harvard at 19, and by 26 was the world's youngest self-made billionaire - all while maintaining the understated disposition of someone who grew up in a village of a few hundred people on Lough Derg.

- **Role:** President at Stripe
- **Organizations:** Stripe, Auctomatic, Shuppa, Entrepreneur First (backer)
- **From:** Limerick, Ireland
- **Nationality:** Irish-American
- **Education:** Dropped out, Harvard University, Leaving Certificate (8 A1s, 2 A2s), Castletroy College
- **Known for:** Co-founded Stripe, now valued at $159 billion (2026), Became world's youngest self-made billionaire at age 26 alongside Patrick (2016), Sold first company Auctomatic for $5 million at age 17

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Co-founded Shuppa with Patrick Collison in Limerick - an eBay tools platform
- **2007** — Shuppa merged with Harjeet and Kulveer Taggar to form Auctomatic; accepted into Y Combinator
- **2008** — Sold Auctomatic to Live Current Media for $5 million at age 17 on Good Friday
- **2009** — Enrolled at Harvard University
- **2010** — Dropped out of Harvard to co-found Stripe with Patrick Collison
- **2011** — Stripe raised $2 million seed round from Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, and others
- **2016** — Stripe valued at $9.2 billion; John and Patrick become world's youngest self-made billionaires at 26 and 28
- **2018** — Stripe contributed $1 million to California YIMBY pro-housing advocacy
- **2021** — Purchased Abbeyleix Estate and Millbrook House in County Laois, Ireland for restoration
- **2022** — Backed Entrepreneur First's $158M raise at $560M valuation
- **2025** — Stripe processed $1.9 trillion in annual payment volume
- **2025** — Stripe acquired Bridge (stablecoin platform) for $1.1 billion
- **2025** — Stripe Link surpassed 200 million users
- **2025** — Launched 'A Cheeky Pint' podcast featuring tech industry conversations
- **2026** — Stripe valued at $159 billion in tender offer - world's most valuable private fintech company

## Achievements

- Co-founded Stripe, now valued at $159 billion (2026)
- Became world's youngest self-made billionaire at age 26 alongside Patrick (2016)
- Sold first company Auctomatic for $5 million at age 17
- Grew Stripe to process $1.9 trillion in annual payment volume (2025)
- Stripe Link reached 200 million users under his leadership (2025)
- Expanded Stripe's tax compliance services to 102 countries
- Forbes 15th on America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 (2016)
- Accepted into Y Combinator as a teenager
- Net worth of approximately $9.3 billion (Bloomberg Billionaires Index, 2026)

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Stripe valued at $159 billion in tender offer - a 70% jump from $91.5B - making it the world's most valuable private fintech company
- **2026-01** — John's net worth estimated at $9.3 billion per Bloomberg Billionaires Index
- **2025-09** — Stripe's Link checkout service surpassed 200 million users
- **2025-08** — Google CEO Sundar Pichai implemented a Google Calendar feature after John publicly requested it
- **2025-06** — Stripe acquired Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure platform, for $1.1 billion
- **2025-04** — Stripe processed $1.9 trillion in payment volume in 2025 fiscal year
- **2025-01** — Launched 'A Cheeky Pint' podcast featuring conversations with prominent tech leaders

## Links

- Twitter/X: https://x.com/collision
- GitHub: https://github.com/jcollison

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-collison
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-04