TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is coming to Australia — and we’re partnering with Stripe to find the country’s most exciting early-stage startups. On August 19, we’re bringing the world’s most iconic startup pitch competition to Stripe Tour Sydney — selecting 10 of Australia’s most promising early-stage startups to pitch live in front of investors, press, and the Australian tech ecosystem.
Startup Battlefield has launched over 1,700 companies globally, including Dropbox, Cloudflare, Discord, and Trello. Alumni have collectively raised $32 billion and produced 250+ exits. The last time Startup Battlefield came to Sydney, the winner went on to build HealthMatch — now with over $25 million raised and 1 million patients globally.
What we are looking for
- In-person attendance required : Selected companies must be able to send at least one founder to pitch live in Sydney on August 19.
- Australia focus: Companies based in Australia are ideal, but we also welcome companies based elsewhere that have a strong presence, operations, or customer focus in the Australian market
- A working MVP at the time of application: Demonstrated in your product demo video.
- Some funding: Pre-seed, seed, or Series A companies are eligible. Bootstrapped or unfunded companies are not eligible for this edition. Companies that have closed a Series B or later at the time of application will be disqualified.
- A commercial product with a clear path to revenue: Software, AI, SaaS, fintech, marketplace, e-commerce, and most B2B or B2C technology categories are a strong fit. Deep tech and space tech are outside the scope of this edition.
The deadline to submit this application is Monday, July 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. AEST.
You step onto the Startup Battlefield from the moment you submit this application, so put your best foot forward and apply now.
All applicants will be invited and registered to attend the Sydney Stripe Tour on August 19.
Prizes
- Grand winner: $10,000 in Stripe fee credits + automatic entry into TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2026
- 2nd place: $2,000 in Stripe fee credits
- 3rd place: $1,000 in Stripe fee credits
The Stripe x Startup Battlefield winner will also secure a place in the highly competitive Startup Battlefield 200, with potential eligibility to present at TechCrunch Disrupt, held in San Francisco, California, on October 13-15, 2026.
Startup Battlefield will be part of Stripe Tour Sydney on August 19. This year’s event brings together business leaders, founders, and developers to explore the future of payments and commerce — but the real excitement happens when TechCrunch takes the stage with the Startup Battlefield pitch competition. Watch early-stage startups compete for recognition, investor attention, and the chance to launch their companies into the spotlight, all while learning from Stripe experts and industry leaders about AI, emerging revenue models, and the next wave of fintech innovation. Whether you’re scaling a business, investing in the next big thing, or building the future of payments, Stripe Tour Sydney is where the internet economy meets its future. Register now →
Our partner
Stripe is building programmable financial services for millions of businesses globally. Millions of companies use Stripe to accept payments online and in person, embed financial services, power custom revenue models, and build a more profitable business.
Headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin, Stripe processes over $1.9 trillion of payments annually, equivalent to 1.6% of global GDP. Stripe users include all of the top AI companies, 90% of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and 86% of the Forbes AI 50.
Through its scale and investments in R&D — particularly artificial intelligence and stablecoins — Stripe accelerates the utility of frontier technology in the global economy.
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