De-Extinction Startup Quietly Builds Biotech Empire

While Colossal Biosciences grabs headlines for resurrecting extinct species like dire wolves and woolly mammoths, the company is quietly building something potentially more impactful: a network of biotech startups that could reshape human health and environmental science.

The de-extinction company has already spun out three ventures that are turning its genetic research into real-world solutions. Each one tackles a different global challenge, from accelerating scientific discovery to cleaning up plastic waste.

Form Bio came first, raising tens of millions to build an AI platform that speeds up scientific research. The software grew directly from tools Colossal developed for its own genetic work, now available to researchers worldwide.

Breaking focuses on environmental cleanup by scaling a microbe called X-32 that naturally breaks down plastics. The startup is using genetic engineering to make the process even faster, potentially offering a solution to our mounting plastic crisis.

The newest venture, Astromech, just raised $20 million and has already collected $60 million total. The company builds genetics platforms that train AI models on evolutionary data to predict threats to biological systems, from disease outbreaks to climate change impacts on ecosystems.

Astromech has already mapped 46 genes related to cellular maintenance, cancer resistance, and longevity. Those discoveries could eventually help us understand disease risk and identify ecosystems in danger before it's too late.

The Ripple Effect

Colossal CEO Ben Lamm envisions a future where humanity has unprecedented control over biology, from eliminating invasive species to engineering plants with custom proteins. That vision might sound far off, but these spinoff companies are making parts of it real right now.

The technologies developed to bring back extinct animals are proving useful for solving present-day problems. Genetic sequencing tools, AI models trained on biological data, and advanced engineering techniques all have applications far beyond woolly mice.

These three startups represent just the beginning of what Colossal calls its "biosciences empire." Each company addresses urgent challenges while advancing the broader field of genetic science, creating a network effect where progress in one area accelerates discoveries in others.

The cute woolly mice may capture our imagination, but the real story might be how pursuit of one ambitious goal is generating practical solutions we can use today.