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What if one step changed everything?
The last time TechCrunch brought Startup Battlefield to Sydney, two little-known startups took to the stage. What happened next resulted in more than $85 million being raised.
If you want your shot, Applications Closing in a few days on July 6.
In 2017, 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 Startup Battlefield Australia.
That one moment helped push through Health Match Raised over $25 million, expanding into the US, and serving over 1 million patients globally.
The runner-up, FluroSat, used exposure from that same stage to secure a seed round from Microsoft before eventually becoming part of Replanting agriculturewhich has raised more than $60 million to date, and its backers include Microsoft, Airtree, and Cargill.
From one day in Sydney: $85 million raised. Millions of lives were affected. Global companies born from a single opportunity.
Now Startup Battlefield is returning to Australia – and the application window is almost closed.
On August 19, 2026, TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Australia Back in partnership with Stripe.
And this time, the stakes are higher
Eight selected startups will pitch live at Stripe Tour Sydney in front of major investors, global press and the best of the Australian tech community. The top three win up to $15,000 in Stripe fee credits. The big winner gets something even bigger: automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 in Disable TechCrunch In San Francisco next October. There is no application. No competition. A guaranteed place on the world’s most famous startup scene.
This is not just a startup event. It’s a moment for every founder, investor and operator who has been quietly doing world-class work from the other side of the world.
This is your stage
The next company no one has heard of yet is building something important. It could be yours.
Six more days to apply. July 6 It is the deadline.
Free to apply · No royalties taken · In-person event, Sydney, Australia, 19 August 2026
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