{"id":3491220,"date":"2026-07-24T00:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T00:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/meet-the-panel-of-judges-who-will-select-australias-upcoming-standout-startup\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T00:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T00:05:00","slug":"meet-the-panel-of-judges-who-will-select-australias-upcoming-standout-startup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/meet-the-panel-of-judges-who-will-select-australias-upcoming-standout-startup\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the panel of judges who will select Australia\u2019s upcoming standout startup."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is heading to Australia \u2014 and we\u2019ve teamed up with Stripe to discover the nation\u2019s most thrilling early-stage startups. On August 19, eight Australian startups will present live at Stripe Tour Sydney in front of investors, media, and the tech community. Three of them will be awarded prizes. One will secure an automatic entry to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, occurring in San Francisco from October 13-15.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the key to identifying the next standout founder? The judges.<\/p>\n

Startup Battlefield has a proven history of success. The competition has launched more than 1,700 companies worldwide, including Dropbox, Cloudflare, Discord, and Trello. Alumni have collectively raised $32 billion and achieved over 250 exits. During the last Startup Battlefield in Sydney, HealthMatch emerged as the winner \u2014 now valued at over $25 million with a million patients globally.<\/p>\n

Such success isn\u2019t coincidental. It stems from having the right individuals present, those who can identify potential, pose challenging questions, and create opportunities for founders. This year, we\u2019ve gathered three judges representing the pinnacle of Australia\u2019s startup landscape and global fintech innovation.<\/p>\n

Meet your judges<\/h2>\n

Jasmine Liew, Head of Startup & Investor Partnerships for APAC, Stripe<\/h3>\n
\"Jasmine
Image Credits:<\/strong>Stripe<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stripe not only sponsors Startup Battlefield \u2014 the company is also intricately woven into the startup landscape. Jasmine Liew possesses institutional insight into what it entails to scale on a global level and the payment infrastructure that underpins contemporary commerce. When a founder presents before her, they are pitching to someone who comprehends not just the vision, but also the intricacies of transforming that vision into a profitable venture.<\/p>\n

Brendan Hill, angel investor and venture partner, Ten13<\/h3>\n
\"Brendan
Image Credits:<\/strong>Ten13<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brendan Hill embodies the investor segment that actively provides funding. As a venture partner and engaged angel investor, he not only assesses ideas \u2014 he\u2019s also considering whether he would invest his own capital in a team. That perspective is crucial when founders seek to secure their subsequent round.<\/p>\n

Jarron Aizen, founder and CEO, Hapana<\/h3>\n
\"Jarron
Image Credits:<\/strong>Hapana<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jarron Aizen is a founder himself, bringing his understanding of the experience these eight pitchers will face. He\u2019s traversed the journey from concept to company, and that insight is incredibly valuable. When he poses a question from the judge\u2019s panel, it is backed by the triumphs and challenges of developing a business in the Australian landscape.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at stake<\/h2>\n

The grand prize champion will receive $15,000 in Stripe fee credits \u2014 tangible funds that can expedite growth \u2014 along with automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. This is not merely a reward. It\u2019s a launchpad. The second place winner will get $5,000 in Stripe credits, and the third place winner will receive $2,000 in Stripe credits. More significantly, all finalists will have the opportunity to interact with these judges, gain media exposure, and connect with the Stripe Tour Sydney audience comprised of founders, operators, and investors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The true spectacle occurs on August 19<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re an investor, a founder not ready to pitch, or simply someone keen to witness the evolution of Australian startups, Stripe Tour Sydney on August 19 is the event to attend. Register now.<\/p>\n

The stage is ready. The judges await. The question remains: Which startup will shine next?<\/p>\n

Hosted and MC\u2019d by Isabelle Johannessen, director of Startup Battlefield.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When you make purchases via links in our articles, we may earn a modest commission. This does not impact our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\n

TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is heading to Australia \u2014 and we\u2019ve teamed up with Stripe to discover the nation\u2019s most thrilling early-stage startups. On August 19, eight Australian startups will present live at Stripe Tour Sydney in front of investors, media, and the tech community. Three of them will be awarded prizes. One will secure an automatic entry to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, occurring in San Francisco from October 13-15.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the key to identifying the next standout founder? The judges.<\/p>\n

Startup Battlefield has a proven history of success. The competition has launched more than 1,700 companies worldwide, including Dropbox, Cloudflare, Discord, and Trello. Alumni have collectively raised $32 billion and achieved over 250 exits. During the last Startup Battlefield in Sydney, HealthMatch emerged as the winner \u2014 now valued at over $25 million with a million patients globally.<\/p>\n

Such success isn\u2019t coincidental. It stems from having the right individuals present, those who can identify potential, pose challenging questions, and create opportunities for founders. This year, we\u2019ve gathered three judges representing the pinnacle of Australia\u2019s startup landscape and global fintech innovation.<\/p>\n

Meet your judges<\/h2>\n

Jasmine Liew, Head of Startup & Investor Partnerships for APAC, Stripe<\/h3>\n
\"Jasmine
Image Credits:<\/strong>Stripe<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stripe not only sponsors Startup Battlefield \u2014 the company is also intricately woven into the startup landscape. Jasmine Liew possesses institutional insight into what it entails to scale on a global level and the payment infrastructure that underpins contemporary commerce. When a founder presents before her, they are pitching to someone who comprehends not just the vision, but also the intricacies of transforming that vision into a profitable venture.<\/p>\n

Brendan Hill, angel investor and venture partner, Ten13<\/h3>\n
\"Brendan
Image Credits:<\/strong>Ten13<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brendan Hill embodies the investor segment that actively provides funding. As a venture partner and engaged angel investor, he not only assesses ideas \u2014 he\u2019s also considering whether he would invest his own capital in a team. That perspective is crucial when founders seek to secure their subsequent round.<\/p>\n

Jarron Aizen, founder and CEO, Hapana<\/h3>\n
\"Jarron
Image Credits:<\/strong>Hapana<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jarron Aizen is a founder himself, bringing his understanding of the experience these eight pitchers will face. He\u2019s traversed the journey from concept to company, and that insight is incredibly valuable. When he poses a question from the judge\u2019s panel, it is backed by the triumphs and challenges of developing a business in the Australian landscape.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at stake<\/h2>\n

The grand prize champion will receive $15,000 in Stripe fee credits \u2014 tangible funds that can expedite growth \u2014 along with automatic entry into Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. This is not merely a reward. It\u2019s a launchpad. The second place winner will get $5,000 in Stripe credits, and the third place winner will receive $2,000 in Stripe credits. More significantly, all finalists will have the opportunity to interact with these judges, gain media exposure, and connect with the Stripe Tour Sydney audience comprised of founders, operators, and investors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The true spectacle occurs on August 19<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re an investor, a founder not ready to pitch, or simply someone keen to witness the evolution of Australian startups, Stripe Tour Sydney on August 19 is the event to attend. Register now.<\/p>\n

The stage is ready. The judges await. The question remains: Which startup will shine next?<\/p>\n

Hosted and MC\u2019d by Isabelle Johannessen, director of Startup Battlefield.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When you make purchases via links in our articles, we may earn a modest commission. This does not impact our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3491221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3491220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3491220"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3491220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3491220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3491221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3491220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3491220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3491220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}