In November 2017, TechCrunch brought Startup Battlefield to Australia for the first time. Fifteen startups from across Australia and New Zealand took to the stage in Sydney, pitched in front of investors and judges and competed for a shot at the world stage.
It was a day. A stage. And what happened next is exactly why we keep coming back.
Sydney, 19 August 2026
On August 19, Startup Battlefield returns to Sydney in partnership with Stripe, one of the world’s most iconic tech companies. We undertake Stripe Tour Sydney for a night the Australian startup ecosystem will not forget. Ten selected companies will pitch live in front of leading investors, global press and the best of Australia’s tech community. The top three will win up to $10,000 in Stripe billing credits. The big winner walks away with something even bigger: automatic entry into the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October — no application required, no competition. Just a guaranteed spot on the world’s most iconic startup stage.
But this is not just an event for the 10 participating companies. This is a moment for the entire Australian startup ecosystem — the founders, investors, operators and builders quietly doing world-class work from the other side of the world. We want every aspiring founder in the room, whether you’re on stage or in the audience, because this is the kind of night that reminds you why you started.
Find out who should apply and more details about the Stripe x Startup Battlefield here.
What happened the last time we were here
Don’t take our word for it. See what emerged from a day in Sydney in 2017.
The winner became a global health technology platform
Manuri Gunawardena was a senior medical student when she made the pitch HealthMatch — a machine learning platform that matches clinical trial patients. She won. This win translated into more than $25 million raised, US expansion and over 1 million patients worldwide, with the backing of Square Peg Capital and SEEK co-founder Paul Bassat.
The second built a global agtech company
The second FluroSat used hyperspectral imaging to help farmers reduce waste. The Startup Battlefield stage gave the company its first real exposure. A Microsoft M12 startup round followed, and then a merger to form Grow Georgia — now with over $60 million raised and backed by Microsoft, Airtree and Cargill.
Together, the winner and runner-up from one day in Sydney have amassed more than $85 million. This is what happens when you create a scene and invite the right people into it.
The broadest class of 2017
Across 26 Australian Battlefield alumni, collective funding raised exceeds $147 million, with three successful acquisitions. They have been backed by Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg, Khosla Ventures, Microsoft, Airtree, Startmate, Techstars and SOSV. CancerAid became Osara Health. Life Whisperer has partnered with fertility clinics internationally.
These were companies that people had never heard of before they stood in a room in Sydney and made their case. That’s what Startup Battlefield does. He finds companies before people know their names.
Ready to make history?
We’re looking for the next HealthMatch. The next Regrow. The next company no one has heard of yet, building something that will matter.
Applications are now open July 6.
Apply now for Stripe x Startup Battlefield Australia 2026. Free to apply. No equity has been received. Personal event in Sydney on 19 August 2026.
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