GoKawiilWhat if one pitch changed everything?
The last time TechCrunch brought Startup Battlefield to Sydney, two little-known startups stepped onto the stage. What happened next led to more than $85 million raised.
If you want your shot, applications close in just a few days on July 6.
In 2017, Manuri Gunawardena was a final-year medical student when she pitched HealthMatch, a machine learning platform matching patients to clinical trials. She won Startup Battlefield Australia.
That single moment helped propel HealthMatch to more than $25 million raised, expansion into the United States, and over 1 million patients served globally.
The runner-up, FluroSat, used the exposure from that same stage to secure a Microsoft seed round before ultimately becoming part of Regrow Agriculture, which has now raised more than $60 million and counts Microsoft, Airtree, and Cargill among its backers.
From one day in Sydney: $85 million raised. Millions of lives impacted. 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 returns in partnership with Stripe.
This time, the stakes are even higher
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