Pinch Me! I Want 50K

Win $50,000. Build Something Real.

Pinch Me! I Want 50K is a national hackathon brought to you by Pinch Payments and The Founders Union.

Over one weekend, teams across Australia will build and pitch innovative solutions using the Pinch Payments API, competing for a $50,000 cash prize.

Whether you're a founder, developer, designer, product thinker, creative, or someone with a great idea, this hackathon is designed for people who want to build, not just talk about building.

About the Challenge

The challenge is simple:

Use the Pinch Payments API to solve a real problem.

Teams are free to explore any use case, including:

• Billing and invoicing

• Subscription management

• Payment automation

• Marketplace payments

• Embedded payments

• Reconciliation workflows

• Any other commercially viable payment solution

Participants will have access to the Pinch Payments sandbox environment, allowing them to build and test solutions without processing real payments.

Key Dates

Registrations Close: 22 July, 11:59 PM

Launch Event:

24 July (Sydney + live-streamed nationally)

Build Weekend:

25–26 July

First Submission Deadline:

26 July

Polishing Week:

27–31 July

Final Submission Deadline:

31 July

Demo & Pitch Night:

10 August

Winner Announced:

10 August

Prize

First Place: $50,000 Cash

Outstanding teams may also be invited to explore ongoing opportunities within the Pinch Payments and The Founders Union ecosystem.