Patrick Collison
Born 1988 · Age 37
Irish entrepreneur; co-founder and CEO of Stripe; co-founder of Fast Grants and Arc Institute; Young Scientist winner. Known for building Stripe into a major payments infrastructure company.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Dromineer, County Tipperary, Ireland
Patrick Collison born to Lily (microbiologist) and Denis Collison (electronic engineer) in rural Ireland.
Took first computer course at University of Limerick
At age eight he took his first formal computer course at the University of Limerick.
Began learning computer programming
Started teaching himself computer programming around age ten.
Early entrepreneurial pitch to parents
At about 13 he made an early entrepreneurial pitch to his parents (for satellite internet) — an early sign of initiative.
Entered 40th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (runner-up)
Entered the Young Scientist competition with an AI project nicknamed 'Isaac' and finished as individual runner-up.
Prize presented by President Mary McAleese
At the Young Scientist award ceremony his prize was presented by Irish President Mary McAleese (ceremonial recognition of his 2005 win).
Won 41st Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (Croma)
Won first place with a LISP-type programming language called Croma; prize included a €7,500 cheque and a Waterford Crystal trophy presented by President Mary McAleese.
Began attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Enrolled at MIT (attended but later dropped out to pursue startups).
Accepted/engaged with Y Combinator; moved to Silicon Valley
Y Combinator showed interest in Shuppa/Auctomatic prompting relocation to Silicon Valley and further development of the product for eBay sellers.
Co-founded Shuppa (later became Auctomatic)
With brother John Collison, set up software company 'Shuppa' in Limerick; later merged with a project by Harjeet and Kulveer Taggar and became Auctomatic after Y Combinator interest.
Became 'millionaire teenagers' after Auctomatic exit
Following the Auctomatic sale the brothers were widely reported as having become millionaires before age 20.
Sold Auctomatic to Live Current Media (~$5M)
On Good Friday (March 2008) Auctomatic was sold to Canadian company Live Current Media; this transaction made the Collison brothers millionaires.
Became Director of Engineering at Live Current Media
After the acquisition, in May 2008 Patrick became director of engineering at Live Current Media's Vancouver base.
Featured on RTÉ young Irish rich list
Patrick and his brother John were featured on a program profiling young wealthy Irish people during the 2008 Christmas period.
Dropped out of MIT
Left MIT after starting businesses and pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities (reported to have dropped out in/around 2009).
Saturday Night with Miriam interview
Appeared on Saturday Night with Miriam (18 July 2009) to outline his ideas for the future of Ireland following the McCarthy Report.
Co-founded Stripe
Patrick and his younger brother John co-founded Stripe in San Francisco to simplify online payments for developers and businesses.
Y Combinator seed support for Stripe
Stripe began with seed funding/accelerator support from Y Combinator (early-stage backing and mentorship).
Patrick and John reportedly left college to focus on Stripe
Accounts indicate Patrick (MIT) and John (Harvard) left university to dedicate themselves full-time to building Stripe.
Stripe API gained traction among developers
Stripe's developer-first API (noted as being very simple) started widespread adoption, helping Stripe sign early clients across tech startups.
Early high-profile investors publicly associated with Stripe
Investors such as Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and SV Angel were publicly named among Stripe's early backers.
Stripe raised $2M from high-profile investors
In 2011 Stripe received about $2 million in early investment including from Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, plus Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and SV Angel.
Stripe valued at about $5 billion (reported)
By late 2015/2016 coverage described Stripe valuations in the multi-billion dollar range (reports cite ~$5B around 2015).
Named Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (reported)
Coverage indicates Patrick received recognition as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (reported in coverage of the period).
CapitalG & General Catalyst investment valued Stripe at $9.2B
An investment from CapitalG and General Catalyst Partners in Nov 2016 valued Stripe at about $9.2 billion; media reported the Collison brothers became the world's youngest self-made billionaires worth at least $1.1B each.
Net worth reported around $3.2B (notional)
By 2017 sources reported the Collison brothers were notionally worth at least $3.2 billion each (based on private valuations and holdings).
Co-authored influential science financing critique
The Atlantic essay with Michael Nielsen (Nov 2018) influenced discourse on returns to science funding and efficiency of scientific enterprise.
Stripe donated $1M to California YIMBY
Under the Collison brothers' direction Stripe contributed $1,000,000 to California YIMBY, a pro-housing development lobbying organisation.
Published The Atlantic article: 'Science is Getting Less Bang for its Buck'
Co-authored with Michael Nielsen arguing that increased investment in science has not produced commensurate output.
Advocated 'Progress Studies' externally
Beyond the Atlantic piece, Collison publicly advocated research into why societies make progress and the institutional drivers of growth.
Published Atlantic op-ed advocating 'Progress Studies'
Co-authored with Tyler Cowen arguing for a new discipline to study cultural and institutional drivers of progress.
Stripe raised $250M at $35B valuation
In September 2019 Stripe raised an additional $250 million in funding at a reported valuation of $35 billion.
Stripe processes hundreds of billions annually (company milestone reported)
By 2020 Stripe was reported to be processing hundreds of billions of dollars annually for millions of businesses worldwide.
Founded Fast Grants with Tyler Cowen
Co-founded Fast Grants to accelerate COVID-19-related scientific research and get funding rapidly to labs.
Stripe raised $850M at ~$36B valuation (reported)
Reports indicate Stripe raised a large round (~$850M) in 2020 that valued the company roughly $36B (private round coverage varies by source).
Tweet criticizing Chinese government treatment of Uighurs
On 29 June 2020 Collison tweeted condemnation of the Chinese government's treatment of Uighurs, a public political statement covered in media.
Continued long-term vision for Stripe and 'increase the GDP of the internet'
Public statements and interviews emphasize the aim to build durable infrastructure for internet commerce and long-term company craftsmanship.
Co-founded Arc Institute (nonprofit research organization)
With Silvana Konermann and Patrick Hsu, co-founded Arc Institute to pursue new organizational models for scientific research.
Stripe reported valuations cited up to ~$95B (private reports)
Some reports in 2021 cited Stripe valuations in very high ranges (Frederick.ai and other coverage cited up to ~$95B); private valuations vary by source.
Forbes article about Limerick provokes backlash and removal
A 2021 Forbes profile that characterized Limerick negatively caused online backlash; the article was removed on 9 April 2021 after criticism.
Purchased Millbrook House (reported)
Reports note Patrick and John paid €400,000 (reported) for the derelict Victorian Millbrook House in Co Laois in 2022 as a property purchase.
Married Silvana Konermann
In April 2022 Patrick Collison married Swiss-American biochemist and Stanford professor Silvana Konermann, his Arc Institute co-founder; they met as teens at a science competition.
Profile coverage and reporting on Stripe leadership and strategy
Profiles and reporting throughout 2023 (e.g., The Information) examined Patrick's leadership, Stripe's growth and John Collison's role; continued portrayal as tech leader.
Public interview reflecting on childhood & early tech influences (2024)
In a 2024 interview Collison reflected on his rural upbringing, inconsistent internet access, and how books fueled his interest in technology.
Criticized for posting image with Israeli flag after visiting Israel
In Nov 2024 Collison visited Israel and posted an image with the Israeli flag amid the Gaza war; he faced criticism and calls for Stripe boycotts.
Public net worth estimate (media compilation)
Some online profiles (February 2025) estimated Collison's net worth at about $7.15B (sources vary widely across outlets).
Joined Meta Platforms board (reported April 2025)
Reports indicate Patrick Collison was added to the board of Meta Platforms in April 2025.
Key Achievement Ages
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