$100,000 USD up for grabs at PayPal

$100,000 USD up for grabs at PayPal and Braintree Sydney Hackathon

BattleHack, a global series of hackathons comes to Australia for the first time

Leading global payments providers PayPal and Braintree will be hosting a 24-hour hackathon in Sydney on July 26 and 27, where developers compete for the chance to win a trip to Silicon Valley and $100,000 USD. The hackathon is part of the global BattleHacks competition that visits 14 cities around the world before culminating at the World Finals event in November.

During the Sydney Battle Hack, developers will be tasked with building a mobile application that solves a local problem of their choice and incorporates the PayPal API or Braintree SDK. Developers can compete as individuals, as a team or find people to collaborate with on the day, with a maximum of four people to a team.

The winner of the Sydney Battle Hack will be flown to the finals at PayPal’s headquarters in Silicon Valley to battle it out for the $100,000 USD prize and “battle axe” trophy. The Sydney judging panel for the Sydney Battle Hack will include John Lunn, Global Director of the PayPal Developer Network and influencers within the Sydney tech scene, to be announced in the coming weeks.

John Lunn, Global Director, PayPal and Braintree Developer Network said, “We are very excited to be able to bring Battle Hack to Australia and give Aussie developers a chance to wow us with their creativity and mind-blowing code. Battle Hack is designed by developers for developers. We see it as a way to reward the best and brightest developers. Additionally, we hope to change the lives of the winning team through the prize money we offer, whether it’s helping a sick relative like one of our Moscow winners did or building their own business.

“Unlike many other hackathons, we aren’t looking to take equity in their companies or influence their work in any way. We evaluate every app based on the quality of their code and the integration of our API – not the feasibility of their business idea. By helping developers monetise their ideas we’re not only enabling innovation, but we’re powering next generation companies that have the potential to be as disruptive and successful as Uber and Airbnb,” he said.

Last year’s Battle Hack toured 10 cities and drew more than 2,000 competitors globally. The winning team for 2013 was a team of Moscow developers that created Donate Now, an app that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology and PayPal to allow anyone to instantly donate to a cause from their mobile devices. Instead of filling out lengthy donation forms, the app allows people to donate, whenever and wherever they see an opportunity for giving in their daily lives.

The prizes up for grabs at the 2014 Sydney Battle Hack include:

1st prize: Flights and accommodation to the World Finals in Silicon Valley, and a chance to win the grand team prize of $100,000 USD
2nd prize: PS4
3rd prize: Polaroid Cameras
Early birds: The first 25 hackers in the door will receive a Leap Motion Controller
Details for Sydney Battle Hack:
Date and time: 8.30am Saturday 26th July – 5.00pm Sunday 27th July
Location: Luxe Studios and Productions, 279 - 283 Liverpool Street East, Sydney NSW 2010

For more information and to register, visit https://2014.battlehack.org/.

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Notes to editors:
To embed the Battle Hacks teaser video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpllgbEGP_Q&feature=youtu.be

About PayPal
At PayPal, we put people at the centre of everything we do. Founded in 1998, we continue to be at the forefront of the digital payments revolution, giving people direct control over their money. Through our innovations, we make life better for our over 148 million active accounts in 26 currencies and across 203 markets, processing more than 9 million payments daily. An eBay Inc. company, PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid. The service gives people simpler ways to send money without sharing financial information, and with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts or credit cards.

About Braintree
A catalyst for the next generation of commerce, Braintree provides the easiest way to pay and get paid across any device. Braintree’s global payment platform powers thousands of online and mobile commerce innovators including Airbnb, Fab, LivingSocial, OpenTable and Uber. Merchants in more than 40 countries throughout North America, Europe and Australia can accept payments in more than 130 currencies using Braintree. Today, Braintree powers single-click purchasing for more than 40 million consumers. To learn more, visit Braintree at www.braintreepayments.com and on Twitter @braintree.