John Collison
Encyclopedia
John Collison is an Irish
student
and entrepreneur
.
automatic car in Limerick
, Ireland. The company later merged with Auctomatic, which was funded by Y Combinator
, and Collison moved to Silicon Valley
. Auctomatic was a software company that built tools for the eBay
platform. The company was also funded by Chris Sacca
. Auctomatic was acquired for $5 million in March 2008, when Collison was 17.
In 2009, Collison (having returned to finish secondary school at Castletroy College
) scored 10 A grades in the Irish Leaving Certificate
examination. At 980 points, this was the highest-ever CAO
score received by a student sitting the Leaving Certificate . He continued to study at Harvard University
, commencing his studies in September 2009.
Collison is also a pilot and a pianist.
In 2011, John cofounded Stripe
, which received backing from Peter Thiel
, Elon Musk
and Sequoia Capital
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
.
Biography
In 2007, Collison founded "Shuppa" with his brother's Patrick CollisonPatrick Collison
Patrick Collison , is an Irish scientist and entrepreneur from County Limerick. He was the winner of the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at the age of sixteen. He was also the individual runner-up at the 40th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.-Early life:Patrick...
automatic car in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, Ireland. The company later merged with Auctomatic, which was funded by Y Combinator
Y Combinator
Y Combinator is an American seed-stage startup funding firm, started in March 2005. Y Combinator provides seed money, advice, and connections at two 3-month programs per year...
, and Collison moved to Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. Auctomatic was a software company that built tools for the eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
platform. The company was also funded by Chris Sacca
Chris Sacca
Christopher Sacca is a venture investor, public speaker, private equity adviser, and former employee of Google Inc. He is an investor in Twitter.-Education:...
. Auctomatic was acquired for $5 million in March 2008, when Collison was 17.
In 2009, Collison (having returned to finish secondary school at Castletroy College
Castletroy College
Castletroy College is a mixed community secondary school in Newtown, Castletroy, County Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in December 2000 and has over 100 rooms. It has over 1000 students.-Sport:...
) scored 10 A grades in the Irish Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
examination. At 980 points, this was the highest-ever CAO
Central Applications Office
The Central Applications Office is the organisation responsible for overseeing most undergraduate applications in the Republic of Ireland....
score received by a student sitting the Leaving Certificate . He continued to study at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, commencing his studies in September 2009.
Collison is also a pilot and a pianist.
In 2011, John cofounded Stripe
Stripe
Stripe or Stripes may refer to:* Stripes * Stripes * S.T.R.I.P.E., a fictional superhero* Striper, a fish* Stripes Convenience Stores* Data striping, a data storage technique...
, which received backing from Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel
Peter Andreas Thiel is an American business magnate, venture capitalist, and hedge fund manager. With Elon Musk and Max Levchin, Thiel co-founded PayPal and was its CEO...
, Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is an American engineer and entrepreneur heritage best known for co-founding PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors. He is currently the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and Chairman of SolarCity...
and Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital is a Californian venture capital firm located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California. The Wall Street Journal has called Sequoia Capital "one of the highest-caliber venture firms", and noted that it is "one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture-capital firms"...
.