Startup Battlefield is returning to Australia – here’s what happened the last time we came to Sydney

In November 2017, TechCrunch brought Startup Battlefield to Australia for the first time. Fifteen startups from across Australia and New Zealand took the stage in Sydney, pitching their work to investors and judges, and vying for a chance on the global stage.

It’s been one day. Single stage. And what happened next is exactly why we came back.

Sydney, August 19, 2026

On August 19, Startup Battlefield returns to Sydney in partnership with Stripe, one of the most popular technology companies in the world. We’re organizing a Stripe Tour in Sydney for a night the Australian startup ecosystem will never forget. Ten selected companies will pitch live to leading investors, global press and the best of the Australian technology community. The top three will win up to $10,000 in Stripe fee credits. The big winner wins something even bigger: automatic entry into the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October — with no application or competition required. Just a guaranteed place on the world’s most famous startup scene.

But this is not just an event for the ten companies presenting. This is a moment for the entire Australian startup ecosystem – the founders, investors, operators and builders who have been 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 Stripe x Startup Battlefield here.

What happened the last time we were here?

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what happened one day in Sydney in 2017.

The winner has become a global health technology platform

Manuri Gunawardena was a final-year medical student when she pitched the idea for HealthMatch, a machine learning platform that matches patients to clinical trials. She won. That win turned over $25 million, expansion into the US, and over 1 million patients globally, with backing from Square Peg Capital and SEEK co-founder Paul Bassat.

The runner-up has built a global agricultural company

Runner-up FluroSat used hyperspectral imaging to help farmers reduce waste. The Startup Battlefield phase gave the company its first real exposure. This was followed by a Microsoft M12 seed round, then a merger to form Regrow Agriculture – now with over $60 million raised and backed by Microsoft, Airtree and Cargill.

Together, the winner and runner-up from one day in Sydney raised more than $85 million. This is what happens when you create theater and invite the right people into it.

The broadest category of 2017

Across 26 Australian Battlefield alumni, crowdfunding has exceeded US$147 million, with three successful acquisitions. They are backed by Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg, Khosla Ventures, Microsoft, Airtree, Startmate, Techstars, and SOSV. CancerAid became Osara Health. Life Whisperer partners with fertility clinics internationally.

These were companies the world 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 the world knows their names.

Ready to make history?

We’re looking for the next HealthMatch. Next regrowth. The next company no one has heard of yet is building something important.

Applications are now open through July 6.

Apply now for Stripe x Startup Battlefield Australia 2026. Applying is free. No royalties are taken. In-person event in Sydney, on August 19, 2026.