Judges announced to crown Australia's next breakout startup

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is returning to Australia, this time in partnership with payment platform Stripe. On August 19, during the Stripe Tour Sydney event, eight local startups will take the stage to present their ideas in front of investors, press, and the tech community. The top three will receive prizes, with one earning an automatic spot at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco this October.

The key to the competition's success lies in its judges. Startup Battlefield has helped launch over 1,700 companies globally, including Dropbox, Cloudflare, Discord, and Trello. Alumni have collectively raised $32 billion and produced more than 250 exits. The previous Sydney winner, HealthMatch, is now valued at over $25 million and serves one million patients worldwide.

This year's three judges represent different facets of the startup ecosystem. Jasmine Liew, Head of Startup & Investor Partnerships for APAC at Stripe, brings deep knowledge of the payment infrastructure needed for global scaling. Brendan Hill, an angel investor and venture partner at Ten13, evaluates teams from an investor's perspective, deciding whether he would bet his own money on them. Jarron Aizen, founder and CEO of Hapana, has firsthand experience as a founder and understands the challenges competitors face.

The grand prize includes $15,000 in Stripe fee credits and automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Second place receives $5,000 in credits, and third place $2,000. However, all finalists gain valuable networking opportunities with judges, media attention, and access to the Stripe Tour Sydney audience of founders, operators, and investors.