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DEMO NIGHT 10 AUGUST $50,000 CASH PRIZE 3 CITIES + VIRTUAL 48 HOURS TO BUILD FREE ENTRY

Build with Australian payments infrastructure trusted by 4,000+ businesses.

Xero    QuickBooks    MYOB    Pinch API

— PRIZE POOL

Real People. Real Money.

— FIRST PLACE

$50,000


Cash price awarded to the winning team on Demo Night.

— RUNNER UP

$25k free payment processing


Fuel your next build with $25,000 worth of payments processed through Pinch.

10 days

Build, refine and submit your working product.

Free entry

Build, refine and submit your working product.

— WHY BUILD WITH PINCH

Real payments infrastructure.
Real business problems.

Pinch helps Australian businesses automate how they collect payments, manage billing and reduce admin. During the hackathon, teams will have access to Pinch technology, documentation and technical support.

Embedded finance

Explore payment experiences inside software products.

 

Billing automation

Create smarter invoice, subscription and collection workflows.

Sandbox access

Safely prototype using Pinch documentation and support.

 

Payments

Build card and direct debit payment experiences.

 

— WHY ENTER

Build the future of payments


This is a chance to build something useful, get direct access to payments experts, meet other ambitious builders, and pitch your idea to people who understand startups and fintech.

woman with money

Win $50,000

Put real cash behind your idea, startup or next big build. 

girl with tools

Build with Pinch

Use Pinch's payment, billing and automation capabilities in a real sandbox environment.

target

Get seen

Pitch to founders, operators, investors and leaders in the startup ecosystem.

4 rocket

Find your people

Join developers, designers, founders and solo builders from across Australia.

— THE CHALLENGE

Build something that makes getting paid easier.

There is no fixed brief. Teams can build a standalone product, extend an existing idea, or create something completely new using Pinch Payments technology.

What if invoices paid themselves?
What if SaaS products could embed payments in a day?
What if freelancers never had to chase invoices?
What if reconciliation happened automatically?
What if marketplaces could split payments instantly?

— MENTORS AND JUDGES

Learn from industry leaders

tech support

Technical support

Pinch developers will help with API integration, architecture and troubleshooting.

commerical support

Commercial support

The Founders Union mentors will support validation, product strategy and pitch prep.

final judging

Final judging

Finalists will be reviewed by experienced fintech operators, founders and investors.

— KEY DATES

Mark your calendar.

22 July
Applications close
24 July
Hackathon starts
31 July
Final submissions due
3 August
Finalists announced
10 August
Demo and pitch night
Some dates are still being confirmed. Early applicants will be prioritised for limited in-person hub spots.

— LOCATIONS

Join in-person or online.

sydney
In-person

Sydney

Tank Stream Labs

Pinch-Melbourne_2
In-person

Melbourne

Tank Stream Labs

brisbane
In-person

Brisbane

Venue to be confirmed

Virtual
VIRTUAL

Remote

Participate from anywhere in Australia

— HOW IT WORKS

Five steps. 
$50,000.
Simple.

1
Apply

Submit your application. Spots are limited across in-person hubs.

2
Form a team

Bring your own team or join the team formation process.

3
Get set up

Access onboarding, docs, support and the hackathon community.

4
Build

Use the 10-day sprint to create and polish a working product.

5
Pitch

Finalists pitch live on Demo Night for the $50,000 prize.

lau

Connect with your Community.

facebook x instagram Social Icons-3 Social Icons-2 Social Icons-1 Social Icons

— FAQ

Your questions, answered.

No. The hackathon is open to developers, founders, designers, product thinkers, and anyone with an idea and the drive to build. The strongest teams often combine technical, commercial, product, and design skills.
No, you can register as an individual or with an existing team. If you're looking for teammates, we'll help connect participants before the hackathon begins.
The challenge follows an open brief. Build any solution that uses the Pinch Payments API to solve a real business problem. This could include billing and invoicing, subscription management, payment automation, embedded payments, marketplaces, reconciliation workflows, and more.
Yes! While we’d love to see you at one of our in-person hubs, remote participation is fully supported. You’ll be able to join the Launch Event and Demo Night via live stream, access all hackathon resources online, and compete on equal footing with teams attending in person.
Participation in the hackathon is completely free!
AI-assisted development tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Replit, and GitHub Copilot are permitted. However you build it, what matters is solving a real problem and being able to explain your solution during judging.
Your team retains ownership of everything you build during the hackathon. Organisers may request temporary access to your repository solely to verify your submission and ensure compliance with the competition rules. Ownership of your intellectual property remains with your team at all times.
For full details, please refer to the Terms & Conditions.

Ready to build? 

Tell us a bit about yourself. We’ll confirm your spot, help with team formation if
needed, and get you set up with the hackathon community.

Developers Designers Product managers Founders Students Solo builders

<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">Apply now</span></p>

 

By applying, you agree to the hackathon Terms & Conditions. Limited spots per hub.

pinch team