Joshua Kushner's venture firm Thrive Capital is reportedly planning to invest $1B in Stripe as a lead investor in the upcoming $2.5B funding round.  The payments startup is poised to be valued between $55B and $60B at the upcoming fundraiser, significantly lower than its peak valuation of $95B in 2021. Stripe has planned the fundraiser to allow existing employees to sell shares and pay off its tax liabilities.  Last week Stripe hired JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs to explore public listing options, either through a private share sale or a direct listing, to allow employees to cash out their expiring restricted stock units. Over 2022, Stripe laid off staff and lowered its internal valuation multiple times — most recently to $63B — as it struggled to raise money and was looking to cut back on expenses. Thrive Capital closed a $3B fund last February, its largest to date. The firm sold a 3.3% minority stake to a group of billionaires, including Robert Iger, Henry Kravis, Mukesh Ambani, and Xavier Niel, last week for $175M.  The deal valued the New York-based venture firm at $5.3B.