The Collison Brothers and Story Behind The Founding Of Stripe | Hacker News Reader

The Collison Brothers and Story Behind The Founding Of Stripe

startupgrind.com

From my Irish perspective, I'd be more interested to learn how they came from Limerick, went to two prestigious American universities, and ended up in Silicon Valley. I heard for example that they initially approached banks in Ireland with their idea, but could not get funding. I'd be fascinated to read about this if anyone has a link to share (this article really skims over the early details).

I'd also love to see the lads bring their service back to the EU at some stage, it's badly needed!

I found it myself, this gives a lot more detail: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/item/22016-exclusiv...

I like how just because they are from Limerick, they would have no chance of making it out of the city.

Does anybody else read these stories and think "crap... I'm 23 and I haven't received any awards, nor did I go to MIT..."?

I know it's not requisite in the startup world to go to a top school, but every time I read a story like this I have to mentally justify my education and qualifications. I feel I'm a decent hacker who can produce, but I feel my background pales in comparison to guys like these.

It's easy to feel that way, but everybody does (including people at MIT). You just have to do your best not to compare yourself to others and do what you can do well and to the fullest.

Don't compare yourself to a strawman stuffed with everyone else's achievements.

Everyone looks bad compared to the aggregate. Individual differences are more manageable.

Stripe's success has more to do with hard work than genius.

After you work with a few MIT grads and Stanford Comp Sci. PhDs you realize that they're not that special. Their pedigree does not measure how well they'll do as a startup founder or software developer per say. It's about your drive, direct skill and ability.

One University of Toronto Math postdoc I talked to in the airplane shuttle back to Palo Alto, and now works at stanford says that Stanford Undergrads have about the level of difficulty at the UoT students, except they do more extra curriculars. It might be related to the weather.

University degree Brands are cheap and lazy filters, and on top of that, their a branding upon people, one of the most inconsistent 'products' in the world. Degrees indirectly correspond to the persons ability and the amount of wealth their family has. Don't look at them more than that.

It goes both ways. Sometimes it means their family was loaded, but it can mean you're wicked smart too.

I think these guys are particularly unique and talented. But I don't think most follow this trajectory of amazingness. Lots of incredible founders never went to an Ivy League school. Most didn't attend MIT or Harvard.

I'm surprised it doesn't mention their previous startup Auctomatic which they sold for a few million when John was 17 and Patrick was 19.

"Patrick founded Auctomatic and joined Y Combinator as a Winter 2007 company. Its path would not last long. At the age of 19 and ten months after incorporating, the company was bought by Live Current Media for $5MM where Patrick became the Director of Product Engineering in 2008"

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