You know Elon, right?
Based on Elon Musk’s emphasis on disruptive technologies
- that advance humanity toward a multi-planetary future,
- accelerate sustainable energy,
- enhance human cognition, and
- pursue truth-seeking AI —
here are three emerging deeptech startups that the visionaries like Elon wouldn’t likely invest in.
Or maybe they would..
This selection draws from recent innovations in AI, quantum computing, and biotech, areas Musk has repeatedly highlighted as critical for exponential progress.
1. DeepSeek (Hangzhou, Zhejiang) – Open-Source Frontier AI Models
DeepSeek, founded in 2023, develops cost-efficient, open-source large language models that rival proprietary systems like those from OpenAI or xAI. Their latest models, such as DeepSeek V3.2-Exp, achieve near-state-of-the-art performance at 20x lower training costs by optimizing data efficiency and sparse architectures. This disrupts the AI landscape by democratizing access to advanced tools for reasoning and code generation, enabling faster global innovation in fields like drug discovery and climate modeling.
Why Elon Musk likely wouldn’t invest
Musk prioritizes AI that aligns with his “maximum truth-seeking” ethos, as seen in xAI’s Grok, which avoids what he calls the “woke mind virus” in models like ChatGPT. DeepSeek’s models, while technically impressive, are developed in China under regulatory constraints that emphasize state-aligned censorship and data sovereignty — potentially compromising unfiltered truth-seeking.
Additionally, with xAI raising $10B at a $200B valuation in 2025 to build universe-understanding AI, Musk avoids diluting focus on his own stack, where investments must directly feed Tesla’s autonomy, Neuralink’s interfaces, or SpaceX’s simulations. Backing a Chinese firm could also invite geopolitical scrutiny, clashing with his US-centric ventures amid seesawing US-China tech tensions.
What could change Elon’s mind
If DeepSeek pivots to uncensored, physics-first models (e.g., integrating real-time Tesla fleet data for causal reasoning in simulations) and relocates key R&D to a neutral hub like Singapore, it could complement xAI’s ecosystem without IP risks. Demonstrating a breakthrough in energy-efficient training — slashing compute needs by another order of magnitude — would appeal to Musk’s obsession with sustainable scaling, potentially positioning it as a “Grok for the East” in a multi-polar AI world.
2. Figure AI (San Jose, California) – General-Purpose Humanoid Robots
Launched in 2022, Figure AI builds versatile humanoid robots powered by multimodal AI, trained on vast datasets from human labor and Tesla-inspired vision systems. Their Figure 01 model performs warehouse tasks, household chores, and collaborative manufacturing with human-like dexterity, aiming to address labor shortages in an aging global population. With $1.5B in funding from Nvidia and OpenAI, it’s disrupting robotics by blending reinforcement learning with large language models for adaptive, zero-shot learning — potentially automating 30% of physical jobs by 2030.
Why Elon Musk likely wouldn’t invest
Musk’s Tesla Optimus project, unveiled in 2021 and targeting mass production by 2026, already embodies his vision for affordable (sic!) humanoids ($20K/unit) that “do anything evil bosses want.” Figure’s approach, while advanced, overlaps too closely with Optimus’s end-to-end neural net training on Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer, risking competitive fragmentation in a field where scale (e.g., Tesla’s 6M+ vehicle data moat) wins.
Musk invests inwardly to control the full stack — from chips to deployment — avoiding externalities like Figure’s reliance on external backers (including OpenAI, which he co-founded but now litigiously opposes). At a time when Tesla’s robotaxi delays highlight execution risks, he’d see Figure as redundant rather than synergistic.
What could change Elon’s mind
A partnership demo where Figure 01 integrates seamlessly with Optimus for hybrid fleets — e.g., humanoids handling Mars habitat assembly using Starlink for real-time teleop — could flip the script.
If Figure achieves a 10x dexterity leap via Neuralink-compatible brain signals (enabling thought-controlled swarms), it would align with Musk’s “human-AI symbiosis” goal, turning a rival into a bolt-on accelerator for multi-planetary labor.
3. Latent Labs (London, UK) – AI-Driven Programmable Biology
Founded in mid-2023 by ex-DeepMind researcher, Latent Labs uses generative AI foundation models to “program” biological systems, optimizing protein designs for therapeutics and materials. Their LatentBio platform simulates molecular interactions at quantum scale, slashing drug discovery timelines from years to months — e.g., engineering enzymes for carbon capture or personalized cancer vaccines. Backed by $50M from biotech VCs, it disrupts pharma by making biology as editable as code, targeting $1T in annual R&D savings.
Why Elon Musk likely wouldn’t invest
While Musk champions biotech via Neuralink (for brain augmentation), his investments skew toward immediate human expansion — like cybernetic enhancements — over broad programmable biology, which feels tangential to his core missions of energy independence and space colonization. Latent Labs’ focus on pharma partnerships (e.g., with GSK) ties it to slow, regulated incumbents Musk derides as “innovation killers,” unlike his fast-iteration ethos. With xAI and Neuralink already taxing his bandwidth on AI-bio interfaces, he’d view this as a distraction, especially since DeepMind (Alphabet-owned) alumni evoke his past warnings about concentrated AI power without his direct oversight.
What could change Elon’s mind
If Latent Labs engineers radiation-resistant biomaterials for SpaceX habitats or AI-optimized algae for Mars life support — proven in a Starship payload test — it would bridge biology to his interplanetary goals. A Neuralink collab, using their models to simulate brain-protein interactions for thought-to-action implants, could reframe it as essential infrastructure, unlocking Musk’s interest in “upgrading” humanity for cosmic challenges.
For Deep Tech Founders & Ecosystem Builders
STOP Chasing the Musk Halo. START Building the Future He Can’t See.
You just read the evidence: the fastest, most efficient paths to a multi-planetary future, sustainable energy, and artificial general intelligence are often being forged outside of the gilded cages of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI.
Your breakthrough isn’t a bolt-on to an existing giant; it’s a new foundational stack.
The Challenge:
Founders: Are you building a $10B bolt-on, or a $1T paradigm shift? If your technology is truly disruptive, its biggest strategic value is its independence. Stress-test your roadmap: Is your core IP unique enough that the established giants must integrate with you, or are you just providing a cheaper alternative?
Ecosystem Builders: Stop optimizing for vanity funding rounds. Focus capital and infrastructure on solutions that solve physics and biology first — not just those that align with current geopolitical or celebrity investment trends.
Identify the next Latent Labs or DeepSeek now.
The conversation starts here: We’re hosting a private-access digital forum to analyze the competitive gaps and overlooked opportunities left wide open by the Musk investment paradox.
Don’t wait for permission or validation from the existing ecosystem. The next trillion-dollar market is being created in the shadows.
👉 Join the 5,000 Cities Deep Tech Ecosystem Twin: Where Visionary Founders Validate Independence.
(Alternatively: 👇 Share this post with the founder who believes they need a Tesla partnership to succeed.)
