stripe

A stripe is a long narrow band that differs in color, texture, or brightness from its surroundings. Stripes can be natural marks on animals or minerals, or designed patterns used in textiles, flags, and graphics. The orientation, width, and spacing of stripes influence visual perception and can convey movement, classification, or emphasis.

In biology, many species exhibit stripes that can serve camouflage, signaling, or social functions. Zebra stripes, for example, have been studied for their potential roles in predator avoidance and social recognition. Tiger stripes help break up an animal’s outline in tall grass. Stripes are also common in heraldry, where parallel lines or broad bands denote family affiliations and coat-of-arms motifs. In fashion and graphic design, stripes are a persistent motif used to create rhythm, direction, or bold visual statements.

Stripe, Inc. is a technology company established in 2010 by Patrick and John Collison. Headquartered in San Francisco, Stripe provides a payment processing platform and related financial services for online and mobile businesses. Core products include Stripe Payments for processing card transactions, Stripe Connect for marketplace and platform payments, Stripe Billing for subscriptions, Stripe Radar for fraud detection, Stripe Issuing for creating and managing cards, and Stripe Atlas for company incorporation. The platform supports multiple payment methods and currencies and is used by startups as well as large enterprises. Stripe operates globally and competes with other payment processors such as PayPal, Adyen, and Square. Its growth has been driven by developer-focused APIs and an expanding suite of connected services, alongside regulatory and competitive challenges in various jurisdictions.