# Stripe: Patrick and John Collison - Waiting for [[ipo|IPO]] now. - Key strength: an application _programming interface_ that easily integrates its payment technology into the software systems of customers. - Risks - Increasing fees from the banks. - Competitors. - Decreasing fees from partners as they grow. ## Resources - [Will Fintech Maverick Stripe Finally Take The Plunge When IPO Market Picks Up? | Investor's Business Daily | Jul. 26, 2023](https://www.investors.com/news/technology/stripe-ipo-will-fintech-finally-take-the-plunge-when-market-picks-up/) - "Stripe is an e-commerce-focused [[merchant-acquirer|merchant acquirer]]" - $95B in March 2021 down to $50B. - [Fintech darling Stripe has first-world problems | Reuters | Mar. 2, 2023](https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/fintech-darling-stripe-has-first-world-problems-2023-03-02/) - [Paul Graham](https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1314948607662010374) considered Stripe the next [[google|Google]] - 60% of the startups in 2021 used Stripe's service. - ![Valuation](https://graphics.reuters.com/BRV-BRV/xmvjknjzdpr/chart.png) - [Stripe happy as a private company right now, says John Collison | RTE | Jan. 6, 2022](https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2022/0106/1272246-collison-dampens-speculation-about-imminent-stripe-ipo/) - "We're very happy as a private company." -- John Collison - Cooperative computer science program at University of Limerick ## Story - [Stripe: Patrick and John Collison (2018) | How I Built This](https://www.npr.org/2020/03/06/812853591/stripe-patrick-and-john-collison-2018) - Brothers from Ireland, both college-drop-out. - Backend tech for safely inputing credit card info. - Auctomatic: an inventory management tool for e-commerce" - In the experience with Auctomatic, they found that the hardest part for online business is the payment process. Banks are the gatekeepers. - Tech companies and startups tend to shy away from problems that involve solving hard problems across multiple domains. Online payment system is just one of the cases - [[paypal|PayPal]] is designed for consumers instead of businesses use cases. It's not an automatic tool. - [[silicon-valley|Silicon Valley]] has has the highest risk tolerance for [[investment]].