PayPal
PayPal is the US-based online payments company founded in 1999 and acquired by eBay in 2002. It is listed in NASDAQ under the ticker code PYPL.Besides facilitating online payments and money transfers for many e-commerce companies and other internet-based businesses, it is famous for its network of former founders and other alumni, many of whom went on to establish successful companies or became investors in the tech and internet industries. Some famous names linked to this network, sometimes called “PayPal Mafia”, include ex-CEO Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Dave McClure (founder of 500 Startups), and Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder).PayPal has invested in several companies, including ride-hailing firms Gojek and Uber and e-commerce platform MercadoLibre. It has also established PayPal Ventures as a separate VC arm and PayPal Incubator to support early-stage startups.
