The country has produced industrial titans and dealmakers. The Collisons have taken a different route, embedding Stripe at the heart of global commerce and thinking in decades, not quarters.
The energy start-up was co-founded by Don O’Leary, the former site lead at Stripe in Ireland. It raised €1.5m from climate investors but is now being wound up with backers made whole.
The payments giant is seeking funds owed to it by the US investment firm over a deal to provide services to its now-bust Australian airline Bonza.
In a wide-ranging interview, the Stripe co-founder talks about resisting the IPO rush, the returns of long-term vision, and why Ireland’s economic future depends on rediscovering strategic ambition.
Asked about the global turmoil triggered by Trump, Stripe co-founder John Collison had “nothing new to say”. This might be the wisest approach.
Billionaire businessman John Collison isn’t just investing in infrastructure—he’s reshaping Weston Airport into a hub for light aviation, pilot training, and public service flights. For Collison, it is not just business, it is personal.
Even as head of sales at Stripe, Ed Moore couldn’t sign up customers to use a single payment system covering all countries. His new employer Payrails aims to fix that.
In late 2022, Laois County Council opened an enforcement case over a grass runway used by the aviation enthusiast at his estate and an unauthorised parking area beside it. The file was recently closed off.
John Collison says that Ireland’s economic success was founded on radical ideas. However, in a wide-ranging and forthright interview, the co-founder of Stripe wonders if complacency has seeped into the system.
The founders of Touchtech Payments, which Stripe bought in 2019, have tapped several VC firms for their next fintech play, Apata.
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