Applications for Startup Battlefield Australia close on July 6. The competition is open to early‑stage startups based in Australia or New Zealand that are pre‑seed to Series A, have a product with early traction, and are addressing meaningful problems with innovative technology. On August 19, 2026, eight startups will present live at Stripe Tour Sydney in front of investors, media and the Australian technology community. The top three startups will receive up to $15,000 in Stripe fee credits, and the winner will earn automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco in October. Isabelle Johannessen, who leads Startup Battlefield, has previously overseen acceleration programs in Japan, Korea, Italy and Spain and has experience scouting founders worldwide. The application process is free and requires no equity.