Top 5: This Week in Tech & Startups
Good morning.
Tesla just approved a $1 trillion pay package for Elon Musk. A Dutch startup built an artificial womb for premature babies. And IKEA decided to go all-in on smart homes.
Meanwhile, Australia's giving away free solar power and Google's about to drop $350B on Anthropic.
This week had everything—from boardroom endorsements to biotech breakthroughs.
Your Sunday rundown:
Tesla's $1T pay package (and what it requires)
Artificial wombs for premature babies
IKEA's 21 new smart home devices
Australia's free solar electricity program
Quick hits from the week
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Hey there,
Alberto here with your Sunday newsletter—Founderscrowd's Top 5.
Every Sunday, I break down the biggest stories from tech and startups. The moves that signal where capital is flowing, the breakthroughs that create new markets, and what it all means if you're paying attention to private markets.
Let's dive in.
1. Tesla Shareholders Approve Musk's $1 Trillion Pay Package
Tesla shareholders just voted overwhelmingly (75%+) to give Elon Musk a compensation package that could reach $1 trillion over the next decade.

Not a typo. $1 trillion.
But here's what most headlines miss: the money isn't guaranteed. It requires Tesla to hit a $8.5 trillion market cap—that's 550% higher than today's valuation and 70% above Nvidia's all-time record.
The company also has to hit operational milestones: 20 million vehicle deliveries, 1 million commercial robotaxis, and 1 million humanoid robots sold.
If Musk pulls it off, he gets an additional 12% stake in Tesla and significantly more voting control.
Why it matters: This passed despite opposition from major proxy advisory firms who warned about massive dilution and key-person risk. Shareholders basically said "we believe Elon can 6x the company's value." That's either visionary or delusional—time will tell which.
2. Startup Builds Artificial Womb for Premature Babies

A Dutch startup is developing an artificial womb—a fluid-filled incubator that mimics the uterine environment to keep extremely premature babies alive.
The system uses an artificial placenta (roughly fist-sized) that connects to the baby's umbilical cord, delivering oxygen and nutrients. The "AquaWomb" is a double-layered sac designed to feel like an actual womb, complete with resistance against kicks to strengthen muscles.
The target: babies born at 22-24 weeks. Right now, babies born at 22 weeks have only a 10% survival chance with high risks of lung disease and brain damage. Two weeks later at 24 weeks, survival jumps to 60%.
The design includes access ports for parents to touch their baby and a "uterus phone" that transmits parents' voices and heartbeats through the fluid.
Why it matters: The FDA is reportedly reviewing data for human trials. A U.S. company, Vitara Biomedical, has already raised $125M+ for similar "biobag" technology. If this works, it could save thousands of fragile newborns annually and dramatically reduce lifelong complications.
3. IKEA Goes All-In on Smart Homes

IKEA just dropped 21 new smart home devices—all Matter-compatible, meaning they work with Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa without brand lock-in.
The lineup includes:
11 versions of smart bulbs (dimmable white or full color)
5 sensors (motion, door/window, temperature/humidity, air quality, water leaks)
Controllers and hubs that bridge old IKEA devices to the new standard
Everything runs on Thread for fast, reliable connections. The DIRIGERA hub now acts as both a Matter controller and a bridge, so your older IKEA smart devices still work.
Why it matters: By embracing Matter and Thread, IKEA is cutting through the chaos of competing smart home standards. This is what "plug and play" looks like in 2025. If IKEA—the company that made furniture assembly a weekend ritual—can make smart homes this easy, adoption will accelerate fast.
4. Australia Gives Away Free Solar Power
Starting July 2026, millions of Australian households will get up to three hours of free electricity daily under a new "Solar Sharer" program.

Think of it as Airbnb for your neighbor's rooftop solar panels.
Australia has world-leading solar adoption—one in three homes has panels. The problem? Midday oversupply. Too much solar power, not enough demand.
The solution: give away electricity during peak solar hours to incentivize EV charging, laundry, and heavy appliance use when the grid has excess clean energy.
The program launches in New South Wales, South Australia, and southeast Queensland, with expansion planned for 2027.
Why it matters: Australia's ultra-cheap rooftop solar costs about AU$840 per kilowatt—roughly one-third of U.S. costs. If Solar Sharer scales, it could accelerate EV adoption and push fossil fuels off the grid faster. But households that can't time-shift usage might face higher rates outside the free window. It's an experiment in using pricing to reshape demand.
5. What Else Happened This Week
Google eyeing $350B Anthropic valuation. Early talks to deepen investment in the AI company behind Claude. If it closes at that valuation, it would be one of the largest AI deals ever.
Meta making billions from scam ads. Reuters reports Meta generates billions annually from fraudulent ads and illicit product promotions. The platform problem keeps getting worse.
Tesla's second-gen Roadster unveil set for April 1, 2026. Elon chose April Fools' Day "for some deniability." Classic Elon.
SpaceX buying $2.6B more in spectrum licenses. Expanding a $17B September agreement with EchoStar as Starlink continues global growth.
White House blocks Nvidia's China workaround. The scaled-down B30A chip is now banned from export, effectively shutting Nvidia out of the Chinese market.
Snap shares up 9% on Perplexity partnership. $400M deal integrates AI-powered search directly into Snapchat.
What This All Means
This week's stories share a common thread: companies and countries making aggressive bets on the future.
Tesla shareholders betting Musk can 6x the company. Dutch biotech betting on artificial wombs. IKEA betting smart homes go mainstream. Australia betting solar incentives reshape the grid.
The private market moves that create generational wealth happen when these bets are still risky—before mainstream validation, before public markets price them in.
That's the opportunity if you're paying attention now.
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Companies making the kinds of aggressive bets you just read about—before they hit headlines, before they IPO.
Enjoy your Sunday.
See you Tuesday for The Insider Guide.
Stay sharp,
Alberto Rosado
Co-founder,
Founderscrowd
“The next wave of wealth won’t come from Wall Street, it’ll come from those who got in early, understood the game, and stayed consistent.”