Tech companies of all stripes shoveled in billions during the pandemic, as work and commerce moved ever more online. But Stripe, an e-commerce start-up that makes software for businesses to accept online payments, saw one of Silicon Valley’s most notable COVID-19 bumps. Founded in 2010 by brothers Patrick and John Collison, the company charges roughly 3%, plus 30¢, for each credit-card transaction processed with its software. In March, the company announced that it had raised $600 million in additional funding, almost tripling its valuation—making Stripe the highest-valued U.S. startup.
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