Wells Fargo is announcing it will write mortgages on homes built with Icon 3D printing technology and offer a 50 basis point lender credit to buyers, marking a significant shift in financing for 3D printed housing. Historically, lenders had concerns over the viability of 3D printing technology, home value appreciation and the ability to sell and insure loans. However, Icon's first Lennar community in Texas sold quickly, easing these worries. Wells Fargo will become Icon's preferred lender and will also finance Icon's new $899,000 Titan 3D printers for developers. The printers can build multistory structures and are already selling at twice internal targets, with hundreds reserved. Icon founder Jason Ballard said the partnership signals that 3D printed homes are "ready for primetime" and aims to enable "higher speed, lower cost, higher quality housing".

Palfinger reports strong start to 2026 financial year. ABOVE: Palfinger reported growth in Southern Europe during Q1 2026, a region where the company is expanding its presence Palfinger has reported one of the strongest opening quarters in its history for the 2026 financial year, citing innovation, customer proximity and global expansion as the basis for the result. "The results of the first quarter show that Palfinger continues to develop positively even in a very challenging market environment. Our global setup, broadly diversified product portfolio, and clear strategic focus enable us to consistently leverage opportunities in our core markets," says Andreas Klauser, chief executive officer of Palfinger. Regional performance in Q1 2026 varied across markets. Europe (EMEA) recorded an increase in demand, particularly in Northern and Southern Europe, contributing to growth in revenue and earnings. North America (NAM) remained challenging due to geopolitical tensions and tariff policies, which impacted demand and profitability. In Latin America (LATAM), Palfinger recorded slight growth despite declining demand in Brazil. In the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), India continues to be a growth driver, while the Chinese market remains soft. Since 23 March 2026, Palfinger has been listed on Austria's ATX stock index. The company says the move provides additional visibility in the capital market, with new investors, including funds that track the ATX index or invest primarily in ATX stocks, expected to strengthen the share's trading volume and international presence. Through a partnership with US company Icon, Palfinger is developing applications in robot-assisted 3D printing for the construction industry, combining its expertise in XXL robotics and integrated solutions with Icon's 3D printing technology. At ConExpo 2026 in Las Vegas, Palfinger presented its full product portfolio for the North American market, along with several innovations and integrated lifting solutions. For the first half of 2026, Palfinger expects performance slightly above the previous year's level. For the second half, the company is targeting higher revenue and EBIT above the prior-year level, with the goal of another strong year overall. Image: Palfinger

This Week In Startups is made possible by: IM8 Health - https://IM8health.com/twist Grasshopper Bank - https://grasshopper.bank/twist Northwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist Plaud - https://Plaud.ai/twist Today’s show: Is 3D printing the key to not just solving the housing crisis but bringing us all into a more beautiful and utopian future? ICON founder Jason Ballard thinks so. His company is already building homes for the unhoused and delivering barracks to Fort Bliss at half the cost and a fraction of the time. On TWiST, he tells us space construction is also on the agenda. Explore the potential for robot-powered concrete construction can help build cheap homes for the unhoused, modernize our military infrastructure, AND colonize the solar system in this exclusive interview. Then Seby Rubino of Resi Labs demos his real estate “Oracle,” which can guess the price of any home with 98% accuracy… for just fractions of a penny. PLUS Jason tells a story of the rare founder who got one over on him, and why he’s moving away from vengeance and anger and into love and acceptable. AND we’ve got more JCal and Lon recommendations in a brand-new Off Duty. Guests : Jason Ballard: https://x.com/JasonDBallard ICON: https://www.iconbuild.com/ ICON on X: https://x.com/ICON3DTech Seby Rubino: https://x.com/Sebyverse Resi Labs: https://portal.resilabs.ai/ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro + "balance the ledger" tease 0:40 Jason Ballard (ICON) joins — 3D-printed homes + defense (ICON Prime) 4:48 Housing basics: commutes, quality of life, "food/water/shelter" 6:45 ICON Prime: military construction, survivability, speed, supply chain 9:24 IM8 Health: Start feeling like your best self every day. Go to https://IM8health.com/twist and use the code TWiST to get a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order. 11:05 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off! 12:13 Fort Bliss barracks: 10 in 6 months, half the cost; blast/ballistics 19:53 Beautiful + dignified housing: Community First Village; "where's the floor?" 19:45 Grasshopper Bank: Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account. 28:35 Austin housing + Lennar Wolf Ranch 3D-printed neighborhood 29:26 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist 36:57 Audience Q&A: longevity/cracking; plumbing + electrical 41:03 ICON Titan printer + channel partners; hiring pitch 45:17 Sebi Rubino (Rezzy Labs) joins — BitTensor subnet 46 real estate pricing 50:48 Tau/BitTensor explained: subnet competitions, "narrow intelligence" 58:45 Rezzy demo: portal + pricing engine; customers + business model 1:07:19 "Got shivved for 500k" story: acquisition, investors get zero 1:20:06 Bounties: annotated.com + AI sidebar + headless CMS on BitTensor 1:30:40 Off-duty: View Buds (camera earbuds) + use cases 1:37:43 Off-duty: Anker charger/cable/battery "trio" 1:40:42 Off-duty: The Audacity (AMC) quick review 1:46:13 Wrap-up + secret TWiST group chat on X Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp Follow Lon: X: https://x.com/lons Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/ Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com