Stripe IPO: Will Stripe Stock Begin Trading in 2025 (or ever)?

Explore opportunities to invest in Stripe before the Stripe IPO arrives. Linqto removes barriers to private markets and gives you access to invest in pre-IPO companies. Stripe is recently available on the platform. 

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Notable Stripe News

09/24/2024: Stripe shows signs of IPO, despite co-founder comments
08/22/2024: Stripe Plans Employee Tender at $70 B
06/17/2024: Stripe Expects Another Employee Stock Tender Offer
04/25/2024: Collison: high interest rates flushed out SV’s ‘wackiest’ ideas
Older news…

About Stripe

Stripe is a financial technology company that develops payment processing platforms, including APIs (application programming interfaces) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) packages that enable digital payments.

Its APIs allow web and mobile app developers to integrate payments (both receiving and sending) into everyday business operations.

The company was founded in 2010 by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison. The same year it entered the Y Combinator startup accelerator program. 

Stripe has 1 million + customers, ranging from small startups to the largest and most innovative corporations worldwide. Customers and partners include Amazon, Shopify, Pelaton, Lyft, Zoom, Slack, Klarna, Uber, Doordash, and OpenTable.

The Stripe mission statement: 

Our mission is to increase the GDP of the Internet. Stripe is a technology company that builds economic infrastructure for the Internet. Businesses of every size—from new startups to public companies—use our software to accept payments and manage their businesses online.

Company headquarters are in San Francisco.

Here’s a video describing how developers can embed Stripe API technologies into smartphone apps.

Ownership

Stripe investors are made up of the founders, employees, and prominent venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, General Catalyst, Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures, Thrive Capital, Baillie Gifford, Founders Fund, MSD Partners, GIC, Goldman Sachs, Temasek, and Kleiner Perkins.

Its most recent completed funding round was in March 2023 — a Series I fundraise of more than $6.5 billion. 

The company says it didn’t need the money but raised funds to provide liquidity to employees. It may conduct additional tender offers to provide employee liquidity and bring in new venture investors without raising fresh funds. 

Stripe will eventually need to become a publicly traded company to allow early investors to liquidate shares.

Valuation

The latest confirmed Stripe valuation is $65 billion after its February 2024 tender offer. In August 2024, The Information reported Stripe plans another tender offer at a $70 billion valuation. 

Private marketplace Hiive and pre-IPO data aggregator Caplight indicate the Stripe valuation is closer to $90 billion as of August 2024. 

The March 2021 funding round valued Stripe at $95 billion. However, the company lowered its internal 409a valuation in July 2022, in January 2023, and again in late February 2023 due to the downturn in technology starts and pre-IPO startups.

IPO Potential

The Stripe IPO date is currently unknown. The CEO last reiterated in June 2024 that the company is not in a hurry to IPO.

It will likely conduct another tender offer to allow employees to cash out of stock before an IPO.  

As private demand for ownership remains high and cash is plentiful, Stripe does not need to go public in the immediate future. 

However, as Stripe has increased its equity shareholders to include more venture capital firms and individual investors, it will be expected to IPO to provide ample liquidity to all investors.

Public markets will be receptive. 

According to a report by The Information, Stripe is positioning itself to stay private for “several more years”.

We won’t know the date until the Stripe IPO date range or other relevant IPO news leaks to the financial press. 

The Wall Street Journal reported in January 2023 that:

Stripe co-founders Patrick and John Collison told employees Thursday [01/26/23] that executives set a goal of either taking the company public or allowing employees to sell shares in a private-market transaction within the next 12 months, according to people familiar with the matter.

It chose a tender offer over an IPO to keep employees happy. 

Reuters reported on July 8th, 2021, that Stripe hired Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as a legal adviser for early IPO preparations. Further reporting by Bloomberg on September 10th, 2021, indicates the company is “discussing a public listing for 2022 with bankers”.

However, that was during the IPO frenzy of 2021, and Stripe missed the window. 

An IPO looks very likely during the next IPO window, which could form in 2025 or 2026. But Stripe is not a likely candidate to lead the next fintech IPO wave. Chime, Plaid, and Cross River Bank are more likely to go first. 

Typically, with a high-profile company of this size, reports of intent to have an IPO will leak to the press well ahead of the IPO.

Even when the company and SEC publicly release the S-1 filing, we still won’t know a firm date. However, the IPO date typically occurs a month or two after the S-1 is released to the public.

Because Stripe is one of the world’s most valuable financial technology companies, you can be sure that the Stripe IPO date announcement will be big news. 

How to Buy Stripe Stock

It’s a challenge to acquire shares of a stock that is not trading on the public markets. Stripe was one of the more elusive private company stocks until availability became more widespread in the past few years. 

Here are three ways you can attempt to own shares of Stripe stock.

1. Access Stripe equity on pre-IPO investing platforms

Founders, early employees, and investors often find themselves in a difficult predicament. They own valuable shares of a company that doesn’t trade publicly. 

These shareholders might have multi-million dollar net worths because of their stock holdings, but the stock is not liquid because it doesn’t trade on an exchange. 

A few platforms have evolved to give these individuals a way to liquidate their holdings before the IPO.

Some of the more active pre-IPO investing platforms include Linqto (recent availability), EquityZen, Forge Global, and Hiive.

These sites bring liquidity to an otherwise illiquid asset. 

Accredited investors may join these sites and attempt to buy these companies’ shares when they become available.

Learn more about pre-IPO investing.

Though the company claims it “does not offer opportunities for retail investors to invest in the company, nor does it offer equity investments through third-party brokers or other agents,” there is evidence that shares have been available on pre-IPO platforms, especially Linqto. 

That means that an existing shareholder may have attempted to sell shares on a pre-IPO platform. Or, the platform acquired shares in a tender offer and is reselling them to ordinary investors.  

Non-accredited investors can invest in pre-IPO startups by owning the Fundrise Innovation Fund. However, Stripe is not a portfolio holding. Monitor the fund for new pre-IPO investments. 

Please note: This is a testimonial in partnership with Fundrise. We earn a commission from partner links on AccessIPOs.com. All opinions are my own.

2. Participate in the Stripe IPO

IPO investors may find opportunities to invest during an eventual initial public offering, able to acquire shares at the IPO price before the stock begins trading.

Since a Stripe IPO could reach a valuation of $70 to $100 billion, there could be a large number of shares available to retail investors.

Several factors will determine how significant the IPO is, including how much it intends to raise, the total share float, and other facts we’ll learn later. 

Formerly exclusive to Wall Street’s best customers, IPO access is now more attainable to retail investors.

Online brokers, including the ones listed below, give customers free access to IPOs, even with low account balances. 

• TradeStation 
• Robinhood 

TradeStation has a more established track record of accessing more than 400 IPOs and secondary offerings via its partnership with Click Markets.

Robinhood has the advantage of Silicon Valley networks and a history of getting allocations for high-profile IPOs, making it a good candidate for the Epic Games IPO. 

Check out this list of best brokers for IPO investing to learn more about IPO access for retail investors.

3. Buy Stripe stock after it begins trading

Since acquiring pre-IPO shares is challenging and usually reserved for wealthy investors (accredited), the most likely way you’ll own the stock is to wait patiently for the IPO to complete. 

In many cases, investors can get in at a price at or below the IPO price. This is not always true.

Uber, which many predicted would rise steeply, actually fell on the IPO date.

The moral here is that spending significant effort to own a company before the IPO may not be worth it in the end.

Your best chance to own the stock is by waiting for the IPO and making a purchase of Stripe stock through a no-fee online brokerage account that offers IPO access like the ones mentioned above.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Stripe Publicly Traded?

No. Stripe is not publicly traded. It is a private company. 

What is the Stripe Stock Price?

Since Stripe is not publicly traded on a stock exchange, there is no public Stripe stock price yet.

Caplight estimates the Stripe stock price is about $36 per share as of October 2024.  

Private transactions on the Hiive pre-IPO marketplace show shares have traded hands between $35 and $40 per share in Q3 2024. 

What is the Stripe Stock Symbol?

Stripe has not yet submitted publicly viewable filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission. There are no reports of confidential filings.

Therefore, we don’t know for certain what the Stripe stock symbol will be.

We can only speculate about the Stripe ticker.

Here is one obvious suggestion that appears to be available in the U.S.:

• STRP

Stripe Stock News Archive

04/12/2024: Stripe says raised $694 million in tender offer
03/13/2024: Stripe passes $1 trillion in 2023 payment volume
02/28/2024: Stripe announces tender offer for employee liquidity
02/05/2024: Stripe’s popping off in the secondary markets
12/21/2023: Stripe Swings to a Profit as Business Rebounds
06/29/2023: Stripe Lays Off Dozens, Mostly in Recruiting
03/15/2023: Stripe announces new round of funding
03/08/2023: Stripe Raising $6B to Resolve Taxes & Expiring Employee Shares
02/28/2023: Stripe Cuts Internal Valuation to $50 Billion
02/23/2023: GS Offers Rich Clients Access to Stripe’s $4B Fundraise
02/17/2023: Inside Stripe’s $55 Billion Pitch to Investors
02/16/2023: Stripe Is on Track to Turn a Profit With $1 Trillion in Volume
02/06/2023: Stripe Walks Tightrope to Stay Private
01/31/2023: A Tech Giant Closes In on a Pricey Funding Round
01/26/2023: Stripe Sets One-Year Timetable to Decide on Going Public
01/11/2023: Stripe’s internal valuation gets cut to $63 billion
11/03/2022: Stripe lays off 14% of workers
08/22/2022: T. Rowe Cuts Stripe, Instacart Valuations After Tech Selloff
07/14/2022: WSJ: Stripe Cuts Internal Valuation by 28% ($74 billion)
07/07/2022: Stripe partners Revolut to support payments and expansion
06/13/2022: Stripe’s Growing Pains: A Payments Star Hits Snags in Push for Big Businesses
05/26/2022: Collison Brothers Built Stripe Into A $95 Billion Unicorn With Eye-Popping Financials
05/17/2022: Stripe Ranked #8 on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 List
05/12/2022: Stripe takes a swing at Plaid
04/22/2022: Stripe jumps into crypto with a feature that lets Twitter users get paid in stablecoin
04/12/2022: Stripe teams up with major tech companies to commit $925 million toward carbon capture
04/12/2022: Is Stripe cheap at $95 billion?
02/16/2022: Stripe Leads $75 Million Investment Round Into Payroll Infrastructure Startup Check
11/25/2021: Stripe is Open to Accepting Crypto Payments Again
11/23/2021: Stripe co-founder says the fintech giant is ‘very happy’ staying private
10/26/2021: Fintech giants Stripe and Klarna partner on ‘buy now, pay later’ as competition heats up
10/05/2021: Stripe reports surge in revenues for Dublin-headquartered unit
09/10/2021: Stripe Is Discussing Public Listing for 2022 with Bankers
07/08/2021: Online payments firm Stripe takes first step toward blockbuster listing 
06/14/2021: Investors Clamor for a Bigger Piece of Payments Company Stripe
04/08/2021: Payment giant Stripe funds fintech startup Ramp at $1.6 billion valuation
04/06/2021: Clubhouse partners with Stripe to let you send money directly to creators
03/19/2021: The most valuable startup in America is worth more than SpaceX
03/15/2021: Stripe raises new capital, reaching $95 billion valuation ahead of market debut
03/14/2021: Stripe has raised a new round of funding valuing the company at $95 billion
02/22/2021: If Coinbase is worth $100 billion, what’s a fair valuation for Stripe?
02/17/2021: Investors Are Now Valuing Stripe At $115 Billion
01/10/2021: Could Stripe Be the Biggest IPO in 2021?
11/24/2020: Payments Startup Stripe in Talks for Funding at $70 Billion Valuation or More
10/15/2020: Stripe acquires Nigeria’s Paystack for $200M+ to expand into Africa
09/27/2020: Philippines payment processing startup PayMongo lands $12 million Series A led by Stripe
09/23/2020: Stripe Partners With Salesforce In Enterprise Push, As Potential IPO Looms
04/16/2020: Stripe raises new capital at $36 billion valuation

Conclusion

For ordinary investors, it will be difficult to acquire pre-IPO Stripe shares. If you’re determined, follow the pre-IPO marketplaces and pay attention to any offerings. You must be accredited to invest this way.

Otherwise, you’ll need to wait for the IPO date.

But that’s not necessarily a reason to be disappointed. Google’s shares rose 18% on the day of its IPO. Many people probably sold that day. Had they held for the next decade, their holdings would have been up 1,000%+.

When the Stripe IPO is near, please perform due diligence and read the SEC S-1 filing. Only buy Stripe stock with money you can afford to lose. 

Disclosure: The web page contains affiliate links from our partners. If a reader opens an account or buys a service through a link in this article, we may be compensated at no additional cost to the reader. Opening an account with a broker that provides IPO access does not guarantee allocations of specific IPOs. The author is long MA and the Fundrise Innovation Fund.