# Colossal Biosciences

> Colossal Biosciences is a Dallas-based genetic engineering company using de-extinction science - ancient DNA, CRISPR gene editing, and reproductive technology - to revive lost species like the woolly mammoth, thylacine, dodo, and dire wolf, and to apply the same tools to protecting endangered wildlife. Co-founded in 2021 by tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm and Harvard geneticist George Church, it became Texas' first decacorn with a $10.2 billion valuation and has spun out companies in computational biology and plastic degradation.

- **Founded:** 2021
- **Headquarters:** Dallas, Texas, United States
- **Founders:** Ben Lamm (Co-Founder & CEO), George Church (Co-Founder & Harvard Geneticist)
- **Team size:** ~170 employees, plus 95+ scientific advisors
- **Products:** Woolly Mammoth Project, Dire Wolf Project, Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) Project, Dodo Project, Colossal Foundation
- **Notable:** Reached a $10.2 billion valuation, becoming Texas' first decacorn (2025), Announced the birth of three gene-edited dire wolf pups (April 2025), Created 'woolly mice' carrying mammoth-inspired traits (March 2025)

## Products & services

- **Woolly Mammoth Project** — Engineering cold-adapted traits from the woolly mammoth into the Asian elephant genome, targeting hybrid calves. Produced 'woolly mice' with mammoth-inspired traits as a proof of concept.
- **Dire Wolf Project** — Used ancient DNA and gene editing on grey wolf cells to produce three pups - Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi - announced in April 2025.
- **Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) Project** — Reconstructed the thylacine genome to near-complete accuracy and developed an artificial marsupial uterus prototype to gestate embryos.
- **Dodo Project** — Genome reconstruction and avian primordial germ cell work aimed at reviving the dodo and enabling gene editing across bird species.
- **Colossal Foundation** — Non-profit applying Colossal's tools to living endangered species including the red wolf, northern white rhino, vaquita and Sumatran rhino, plus the world's largest distributed biobank.
- **Form Bio** — Spinout offering an AI-driven computational biology software platform for managing and analyzing large scientific datasets.
- **Breaking** — Spinout commercializing a discovered microbe (X-32) capable of degrading plastics within roughly two years.
- **ViaGen Pets & Equine** — Acquired animal-cloning business providing pet and livestock cloning services with high success rates, scaling Colossal's reproductive pipeline.

## Achievements

- Reached a $10.2 billion valuation, becoming Texas' first decacorn (2025)
- Announced the birth of three gene-edited dire wolf pups (April 2025)
- Created 'woolly mice' carrying mammoth-inspired traits (March 2025)
- Reconstructed the thylacine genome to near-complete accuracy and built an artificial marsupial uterus prototype
- Spun out Form Bio and Breaking as standalone companies
- Launched the Colossal Foundation and the world's largest distributed biobank
- Named to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Companies (2023) and WEF Technology Pioneer (2022)
- Acquired ViaGen Pets & Equine, a leader in animal cloning (2025)

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Forbes profiles the '$10B company behind the dire wolf' as it advances mammoth de-extinction.
- **2026-03** — NPR reports on Colossal's woolly mammoth program and dire wolf progress.
- **2026-02** — Announced plans to open a biovault in Dubai for distributed biobanking.
- **2025-11** — Completed first acquisition - ViaGen Pets & Equine cloning company.
- **2025-09** — Raised a $120M Series C extension, lifting valuation to ~$10.3B.
- **2025-08** — Launched Colossal Australia and acquired the TIGRR thylacine research lab at the University of Melbourne.

## Links

- Website: https://colossal.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colossal
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/itiscolossal
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@itiscolossal
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itiscolossal/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/itiscolossal/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/colossal-biosciences
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-21