John and Patrick Collison, while working on previous software projects, realized that the hardest part of starting an online business was not writing the software or marketing the product—it was receiving money from customers.
Stripe is a comprehensive financial infrastructure platform that allows businesses of all sizes to accept payments, manage billing, and handle complex financial operations.
The future strategy focuses on two fronts: stripe
Big mistake.
If you have a specific business idea in mind, I can help you explore whether Stripe is the perfect fit for you. John and Patrick Collison, while working on previous
: Processed $1.9 trillion in 2025, a 34% increase year-over-year.
The foundation of Stripe’s revenue is the "take rate." In the United States, this is typically 2.9% + 30 cents per successful card charge. This model aligns Stripe's incentives with its users: Stripe only makes money when its users make money. If you have a specific business idea in
This process routinely took weeks, cost thousands of dollars in setup fees, and required specialized engineering talent.
| Service | Cost | |---------|------| | (in-person via Terminal) | 2.7% + $0.05 | | Online cards (standard) | 2.9% + $0.30 (US) | | International cards | +1% fee | | Currency conversion | +1% | | Radar (fraud) | $0.05 per evaluated transaction (or free basic version) | | Invoicing | 0.4%–0.5% per paid invoice (capped) | | Connect (marketplaces) | 0.25% + $0.25 per payout + platform fees | | No monthly fee – pay as you go | ✓ |