This startup wants to grow your next body

PLUS: Solar space startup Aetherflux eyes $2B

Jennifer Mossalgue

March 31, 2026

Good morning, tech enthusiasts. Forget cryonics. California startup R3 Bio is pitching something even stranger: nonsentient human bodies, grown without brains, as a source of organs, or a vessel for your transplanted brain.

The company just emerged from stealth with longevity and tech investors on board. Bioethicists, however, are not impressed.

In today’s tech rundown:

Startup that wants to grow you a spare body
Space solar startup Aetherflux eyes $2B
Meta tests new paid tier for Instagram
Uber buys Blacklane to court high-end riders
Quick hits on other tech news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

LONGEVITY

🫠 Startup that wants to grow you a spare body

Image source: Ideogram / The Rundown

The Rundown: A stealth biotech startup called R3 Bio is courting private investors on a provocative premise: grow headless human clones as personalized organ and tissue replacements for wealthy clients, MIT Technology Review reports.

The details:

The California startup recently emerged from secrecy, saying it raised funding to grow nonsentient monkey “organ sacks” as an alternative to animal testing.
While only theoretical, R3 Bio argues that removing brain structures prevents consciousness or pain, making its lab-grown bodies a more ethical alternative.
Founder John Schloendorn also pitched “brainless” human clones, supplying organs or even hosting a transplanted brain for full-body replacement.
The startup says it has drawn backing from longevity and tech investors, who see enormous market potential in organ replacement and anti-aging medicine.

Why it matters: R3 Bio has already attracted substantial funding from tech investors who are betting on a future market they say is worth hundreds of billions for lab‑grown organs and even full‑body replacement. That cash is colliding with ethical questions over whether brainless body sacks might be taking anti-aging medicine a bit too far.

AETHERFLUX

☀️ Space solar startup Aetherflux eyes $2B

Image source: Aetherflux

The Rundown: Space-based solar startup Aetherflux, co-founded by Robinhood’s Baiju Bhatt, is reportedly raising a $250M–$350M Series B round at a $2B valuation, as it pivots to powering orbital AI data centers.

The details:

After initially pitching satellite-based power beamed down to Earth, Aetherflux is pivoting to using its solar-plus-laser tech to power data centers in orbit.
The startup has reportedly raised about $80M to date, including $10M coming directly from Bhatt’s pocket.
Its approach: compact solar satellites that convert sunlight into infrared laser beams, wirelessly transferring power to nearby orbital AI data centers.
The company is targeting 2027 for its first satellite launch, with smaller experiments underway as technical and regulatory proofs of concept.

Why it matters: Space-based solar is attracting serious capital, even as rivals like Virtus Solis and Caltech’s SSPP push toward grid-scale terrestrial power. As SpaceX and Nvidia-backed ventures test off-world data centers to ease AI’s energy demands, Aetherflux is betting the bigger opportunity lies in space.

💵 Meta tests new paid tier for Instagram

Image source: Ideogram / The Rundown

The Rundown: Meta is reportedly testing a new paid subscription for Instagram called Instagram Plus, a Stories-focused premium tier aimed squarely at everyday users, not just creators.

The details:

Reports indicate testing is underway in Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines, with prices between $1.07 and $2.20 per month in local currency equivalents.
Among the features: the ability to view a Story without the poster knowing and see how many people rewatched your own Stories.
Additional perks include extending Stories for an extra 24 hours and spotlighting one Story per week, pushing it to the front of followers' trays.
Subscribers can also send animated “Superlikes” on others' Stories and search their viewer lists. But reports say that users will still see ads.

Why it matters: Meta is pushing to make subscription revenue a meaningful part of its business, steadily building out paid tiers across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp as ad dominance alone no longer feels like a safe bet. Instagram Plus is the latest piece of that puzzle, and a test of how much users will pay for some add-on capabilities.

UBER

🥂 Uber buys Blacklane to court high-end riders

Image source: Uber

The Rundown: Uber is acquiring Berlin-based Blacklane, which provides on-demand black-car chauffeur services, as the ride-hail giant pushes deeper into luxury and executive travel.

The details:

It’s a notable exit for Blacklane, founded in 2011, which has raised $100M from backers including Sixt, Mercedes-Benz, and UAE conglomerate ALFAHIM.
Blacklane now operates in over 500 cities across more than 60 countries and has become a go-to chauffeur service for top execs.
Financial terms were not disclosed; the deal is expected to close by the end of 2026, pending regulatory approvals.
The deal follows the launch of Uber Elite, a high-end service blending chauffeur-driven rides with perks like onboard amenities and 24/7 support.

Why it matters: The move tilts Uber further toward higher-margin premium rides, targeting business travelers and high-spending users. Blacklane’s corporate client base also opens new channels for Uber for Business, Uber’s enterprise division, which generated more than $4B in gross bookings in 2025.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in tech today

Meta is preparing to debut two Ray-Ban AI smart glasses models designed for prescription wearers, with styles to be sold through traditional eyewear channels.

Australia is investigating Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Google, and YouTube for allegedly failing to fully enforce the new ban on under‑16s using social media platforms.

Volkswagen unlocked another $1B in funding for Rivian in their joint EV program, bringing VW’s potential total commitment to nearly $5.8B.

Samsung debuted Hearapy, an app that uses a one‑minute blast of a 100Hz bass tone through earbuds to offer a drug‑free way to reduce motion sickness during travel.

Airbnb is rolling out an in-app private car service in partnership with Welcome Pickups, letting guests book rides in 125+ cities across Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

An AI-powered chromosome-testing company in China is using machine learning to dramatically speed up and automate parts of the IVF process to boost success rates.

Meta struck a deal with energy company Entergy to fund 10 natural gas power plants and power its sprawling Hyperion AI data center in Louisiana.

Streaming subscription revenue tripled since 2020 to reach $157B in 2025 and is projected to reach $200B by 2030, driven by price hikes and ad-supported tiers.

Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5B, is shutting down on June 1 after failing to find a path to sustainable profitability.

Match Group agreed to settle a U.S. Federal Trade Commission lawsuit alleging it illegally shared personal data from millions of OkCupid users with AI firm Clarifai.

Indonesia began enforcing nationwide restrictions that ban children under 16 from having social media accounts, making it the first country in Southeast Asia to do so.

COMMUNITY