Stripe to sponsor young scientist exhibition
Stripe, the company founded by past winners of the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition the Collison brothers, has been named new sponsor of the exhibition.
The Board of the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (YSTE) this week announced that Stripe, the programmable financial services company with dual headquarters in Dublin and San Francisco, has been appointed as the new title sponsor of Ireland’s most prestigious and well-loved STEM exhibition. Signing a five-year agreement, Stripe assumes the role of title sponsor for YSTE from BT Ireland which, up until this year, was custodian, sponsor and organiser of the exhibition for the past 25 years.
Following a competitive selection process, Stripe secured the title sponsorship thanks to its shared passion with YSTE and commitment to promoting STEM education in Ireland - values exemplified by co-founder Patrick Collison, a former YSTE winner, and his brother John, who also won a category award at the exhibition.
The brothers are sons of Denis and Lily Collison, who ran the old Sail Inn hotel in Dromineer. Patrick and John went to school at Gaelscoil Aonach before moving to Limerick.
Patrick won the Young Scientist competition in 2005 at the age of 16. The siblings became millionaires three years later when their first company, Auctomatic, was acquired for more than €3 million. In 2016, the Collison brothers were declared the world's youngest self-made billionaires when Stripe had €1.8 billion on its balance sheets.
Patrick Collison said this week: “YSTE is a special institution for me and John. It amplified our curiosity and reinforced our confidence at a critical juncture. We’re honoured that Stripe has been selected to help preserve it for generations to come.”
A reminder that the online entry system for the upcoming Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (YSTE) taking place from January 7-10, 2026 is already open for submissions. Secondary school students aged 12-19 years old are encouraged to start brainstorming ideas for submission to the 2026 exhibition. Deadlines for submissions will close on September 26, 2025.