The window is almost closed. On August 19, eight startups will take to the Stripe Tour Sydney stage in front of investors, the global press and the Australian tech community. A startup is automatically entered into TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco: no application, no further competition, a guaranteed spot on the world’s most iconic startup stage.

There are only 48 hours left to submit the application. Don’t wait.

Here you will find everything you need to know.

What is Stripe x Startup Battlefield?

Startup Battlefield is TechCrunch’s flagship startup competition, which launched Dropbox, Cloudflare, Discord, and Trello. Collectively, Startup Battlefield alumni have raised $32 billion and produced more than 250 exits at more than 1,700 companies worldwide.

Stripe x Startup Battlefield is a first-of-its-kind partnership with Stripe, bringing the competition to Sydney for one night only. Eight Australian startups will be selected to perform live presentations. Three will win prizes. One will go to San Francisco.

Big winner: $15,000 in Stripe fee credits + automatic entry to Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt, San Francisco, October 13-15, 2026.

Second Place: $5,000 in Stripe Fee Credits.

Third Place: $2,000 in Stripe Fee Credits.

All applicants, whether selected to present or not, will be invited and registered to attend Stripe Tour Sydney on August 19.

What we are looking for and what will not stop you

We’re not looking for the finest companies in Australia. We are looking for the most promising ones. The question we ask ourselves about every app is simple: Does this change anything? Not incrementally, but genuinely.

Some things that won’t disqualify you:

A little press coverage won’t hurt. If your company has had local or industrial coverage but your core technology has not yet had its moment, that is exactly what this stage is for.

You don’t need clients yet. You need a working MVP, but revenue and launch are not requirements.

You have applied before. Many Startup Battlefield companies applied more than once before being selected. A past rejection is not an indication about the future of your company.

How to build a solid application

Show your product working. It is not a model. It is not a presentation with screenshots. Your real MVP, in real time, on video, even if it’s difficult. This is the most important part of your application.

Be honest about your competition. Naming your competitors and specifically explaining why you win tells us more about your understanding of the market than any TAM slide.

Tell us why you. The founding story (what you saw, why now, why you are the right person to create this) is a significant part of how we evaluate teams. Most founders subscribe to it. No.

Don’t over-engineer it. A clear, honest app that shows a real product will outperform a polished one that buries the company beneath it.

The deadline is July 20. It won’t move.

Applications close on Monday 20 July 2026 at 11:59 pm AEST. There are no more extensions. There is no waiting list. Once it closes, the only way to that stage is through the audience.

If you are still deciding whether to apply, apply. The worst outcome is a stronger application next time. The best result is a stage in San Francisco in October.

The next company no one has heard of yet is building something that will matter. It could be yours.

Apply now →

Free application · No equity · In person, Sydney, August 19, 2026.