Ben Lamm
Ben Lamm | |
|---|---|
 Lamm in 2017 | |
| Born | Benjamin Edward Lamm December 4, 1981 Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Baylor University |
| Occupation | Serial entrepreneur |
| Known for | Founding: |
Ben Lamm is an American billionaire entrepreneur noted for collaborating with geneticist George Church to establish Colossal Biosciences, a venture-backed enterprise advancing genetic engineering and reproductive science with a focus on de-extinction. His net worth was estimated at $3.7 billion as of 2025.
Career
While completing his senior year at Baylor University, Lamm founded his initial enterprise. Over time, he sold multiple companies including Simply Interactive (an e-learning software firm acquired by Agile in 2010); Chaotic Moon Studios (specializing in mobile applications, acquired by Accenture in 2015); Team Chaos (digital gaming, purchased by Zynga in 2016); Conversable (a SaaS platform for conversational bots, acquired by LivePerson in 2018); and Hypergiant Industries (focused on AI and machine learning, acquired by Trive Capital in 2023), with transaction amounts undisclosed.
In 2019, Lamm raised $15 million in seed capital to utilize gene-editing tools such as CRISPR through Colossal Biosciences, targeting conservation biology and the revival of extinct species. By 2021, Colossal attracted significant media coverage for its ambition to resurrect the woolly mammoth within ten years. As of October 2024, the company had secured more than $235 million from investors including Paris Hilton, Thomas Tull, Tom Brady, Peter Jackson, and Chris Hemsworth.
At the 2022 South by Southwest event, Lamm took part in a panel promoting de-extinction efforts. Subsequently that year, he co-founded Form Bio, a software offshoot from Colossal aimed at improving scientific research productivity, backed by a $30 million funding round led by Thomas Tull.
In April 2024, Lamm introduced Breaking, a synthetic biology startup dedicated to plastic biodegradation. Originating within Colossal, Breaking identified the microorganism X-32, which efficiently decomposes plastics into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass.
October 2024 saw the creation of The Colossal Foundation by Lamm—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization utilizing Colossal’s technology to support global conservation initiatives with a focus on biobanking. By early 2025, Colossal’s cumulative funding reached $435 million.
In 2025, Lamm progressed Colossal’s de-extinction initiatives by announcing efforts to revive the dire wolf species, unveiling individuals named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi that April.
Board and advisory work
Lamm holds a position on the Board of Trustees for The Explorers Club, where he applies his expertise toward guiding strategic priorities.