Payments processor Stripe has raised $6.5 billion in a financing round that almost halves its valuation from two years ago.
Primary investors include existing Stripe shareholders—Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, MSD Partners, and Thrive Capital—as well as new investors including GIC, Goldman Sachs Asset and Wealth Management, and Temasek.
The new round values Stripe at $50 billion, a sharp discount on its last funding round in March 2021, which was made at a $95 billion valuation.
"Stripe does not need this capital to run its business," the company emphasised. Rather the funds raised will be used to provide liquidity to current and former employees and address tax obligations related to equity awards.
“Over the last 12 years, current and former Stripes have helped build foundational economic infrastructure for millions of businesses around the world, and this transaction gives them the opportunity to access the value they’ve helped create,” says John Collison, cofounder and president of Stripe. “But the internet economy is still young, and the opportunities of the next 12 years will dwarf those of the recent past. There’s so much to discover and to create. For us, it’s now back to work.”
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