Colossal Biosciences Eyes $20B–$30B Valuation in New Funding Round, Doubling Prior Worth
核心洞察
Colossal Biosciences (搜索) is reportedly in talks to raise new capital at a $20 billion to $30 billion valuation, doubling or tripling its previous worth.
The de-extinction startup has begun generating revenue over the past year and has spun out three startups including Breaking (搜索), Form Bio (搜索), and Astromech (搜索).
The company uses CRISPR gene editing and synthetic biology to pursue revival of the woolly mammoth, dodo bird, Tasmanian tiger, dire wolf, and bluebuck antelope.
Colossal Biosciences (搜索), the Texas-based de-extinction startup co-founded by tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm and geneticist George Church, is reportedly in active discussions to raise new capital at a valuation between $20 billion and $30 billion, according to reports from TechCrunch and Axios. The proposed valuation marks a dramatic leap—double to triple the company's prior worth—and would cement Colossal's position among the most valuable private biotech companies globally.
The five-year-old company, which operates out of a 55,000-square-foot headquarters in Dallas, has not disclosed who is leading the new round or how much capital it seeks to raise. Colossal declined to comment on the reports.
Revenue Generation and Spinouts
Unlike many pre-revenue biotech startups, Colossal has begun generating revenue over the past year. CEO Ben Lamm previously outlined three revenue streams for the business. The company has provided its conservation technology to the U.S. government and the United Arab Emirates, which recently invested $60 million in the company, according to Wired.
Colossal has also spun out three startups: Breaking (搜索), a company focused on breaking down plastics; Form Bio (搜索), a computational biology platform that secured $30 million in funding; and Astromech (搜索), an AI-driven predictive modeling company focused on biology and life sciences, which was valued at $2 billion in March.
The Science of De-Extinction
Colossal's core technology platform employs CRISPR gene editing and synthetic biology to pursue what it calls de-extinction—bringing back species that disappeared centuries or millennia ago. The company's approach involves extracting DNA from preserved remains and using gene editing to insert key genes into the genome of the closest living relatives of extinct species.
The woolly mammoth, wiped out roughly 4,000 years ago, remains Colossal's flagship project, with the goal of creating an elephant-mammoth hybrid capable of roaming the Arctic tundra and helping restore grassland ecosystems. The company has also targeted the dodo bird, the Tasmanian tiger, and most recently the dire wolf—revealed last year as an active resurrection project using genetic material from fossils. In late April, Colossal added the bluebuck antelope as its sixth target species.
Beyond De-Extinction
Colossal has positioned its genetic engineering platform as having applications far beyond resurrecting extinct species. Lamm told TechCrunch last year that the company plans to spin off its artificial animal womb technology, which could have applications for human fertility treatment. In May, he told Rolling Stone that this technology is expected to be ready next year.
The company's nonprofit conservation arm, the Colossal Foundation, recently struck a partnership with the University of Tasmania to help protect Tasmanian devils from a contagious facial cancer, demonstrating additional applications of its core science in contemporary conservation.
If Colossal succeeds in reintroducing extinct animals to their native habitats, it may eventually generate revenue through the sale of biodiversity credits—a market-based mechanism similar to carbon credits, according to Lamm.
Market Context and Skepticism
The fundraising effort comes amid a broader boom in longevity tech, alternative energy, and other deep-tech sectors, even as biotech valuations have faced pressure over the past two years. Colossal previously raised $150 million in a Series B round in 2022, led by investors including the Winklevoss twins' investment fund and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, at a valuation of approximately $1.45 billion. The company was valued at $10.2 billion last year.
Traditional conservation groups have questioned whether the millions poured into de-extinction could be better spent protecting currently endangered species. Others have raised concerns about the ecological risks of introducing engineered creatures into modern ecosystems that have evolved without them for thousands of years. Yet investors appear willing to fund the attempt, betting that Colossal's platform technologies will yield value regardless of whether woolly mammoths ever walk the Siberian permafrost again.