Early Life
Patrick Collison was born on September 9, 1988, in Dromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland. He demonstrated an early interest in computers, taking his first course at the University of Limerick at the age of eight and beginning to learn programming at ten. He attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan, Nenagh, and Castletroy College.
Rise to Success
Collison's entrepreneurial journey began early. At 16, he won the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition for his project on a LISP-type programming language called Croma. In 2007, he co-founded the software company Shuppa (later Auctomatic) with his brother John. They sold Auctomatic to Live Current Media in 2008, making them millionaires. He then dropped out of MIT in 2009 to focus on his entrepreneurial pursuits. In 2010, he co-founded Stripe with his brother, and the company quickly gained traction. Stripe's valuation reached $91.5 billion in February 2025.
Key Business Strategies
Stripe's success is built on simplifying online payments for businesses. The company has focused on providing a developer-friendly platform to make it easy for businesses of all sizes to accept payments and manage their online operations. Stripe's key strategies include a focus on technological innovation, strategic partnerships, and global expansion, processing $1.4 trillion in payments in 2024.
Philanthropy
Collison is actively involved in philanthropy. In 2020, he co-founded Fast Grants to accelerate COVID-19 related science. In 2021, he co-founded Arc Institute, a nonprofit research organization. The Collison brothers have also passed the $700 million mark in philanthropic giving.