What started as a science fiction idea is now sitting inside billion-dollar boardrooms. At the center of it is Ben Lamm, a tech entrepreneur who has become one of the most talked-about names in modern biotech through his role at Colossal Biosciences.
The company is attempting something unprecedented: using genetic engineering to recreate traits of extinct species like the woolly mammoth. And while there is still no living mammoth or commercial product, Ben Lamm has helped turn the concept of “de-extinction” into a serious investment story.
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Who is Ben Lamm?
Ben Lamm is an American entrepreneur known for building and selling multiple technology companies before moving into biotechnology.
Before founding Colossal Biosciences, he co-founded AI-focused firm Hypergiant, which was later acquired by Thrive Capital in 2023 for an undisclosed value. His background is rooted in software, artificial intelligence, and scalable tech ventures rather than traditional biology.
Today, Ben Lamm is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, where he has positioned himself at the intersection of genetics, computing, and long-term scientific ambition.
How Ben Lamm co-founded Colossal Biosciences
The origin of Colossal Biosciences began when Ben Lamm met Harvard geneticist George Church, a pioneer in ancient DNA research.
Church had spent years working on attempts to reconstruct the woolly mammoth genome from frozen remains. His work largely stayed in academic circles until Ben Lamm saw an opportunity to turn it into a platform company focused on genetic engineering tools.
Founded in 2021 with around $15 million in seed funding, Colossal Biosciences was built not just to study extinct animals, but to potentially recreate traits of lost species using advanced gene editing.
A $10 billion company without a product
Despite having no commercial de-extinction product, Ben Lamm has led Colossal Biosciences to massive investor interest.
The company has raised approximately $435 million in total funding, including a $200 million round in 2025 led by TWG Global. That funding pushed its valuation to around $10.2 billion, making Ben Lamm a billionaire on paper with an estimated net worth of about $3.7 billion.
Still, the core idea remains long-term. Revenue today comes not from extinct animals, but from spinouts like Form Bio and Breaking, which focus on computational biology and recycling technologies.
The woolly mammoth vision
Under Ben Lamm, Colossal Biosciences is not trying to perfectly clone the woolly mammoth.
Instead, scientists are editing Asian elephant DNA to introduce traits associated with mammoths, such as cold resistance, fat distribution, and thicker hair. The goal is to create a hybrid species capable of surviving in Arctic-like environments.
Research also includes artificial womb technology to address the long reproductive cycles of elephants.
Controversy and big questions
Not everyone agrees with the direction Ben Lamm is taking.
Experts like geoscientist Karl Flessa have questioned whether engineered species can truly restore extinct ecosystems, especially in a rapidly changing climate. Others worry about the risks of releasing genetically modified animals into the wild.
Within the company, chief science officer Beth Shapiro has acknowledged uncertainty but argues that traditional conservation may not be enough to address accelerating biodiversity loss.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, around 46,300 species are currently threatened with extinction, adding urgency to the debate surrounding Ben Lamm and Colossal Biosciences.
For now, Ben Lamm remains one of the most unusual figures in biotech—betting that the future of life on Earth might be rewritten in a lab.
