Colossal Raises $200M in Series C Funding from TWG Global, Fueling Groundbreaking Advances in De-Extinction Science
Colossal Biosciences, renowned as the world’s first company dedicated to de-extinction, has raised $200 million in its latest Series C funding round. The financing was led by TWG Global, a diversified holding company with interests spanning technology, financial services, private lending, sports, and media. Since its launch in September 2021, this new investment brings Colossal’s total funding to $435 million, which increases the company to an impressive $10.2 billion.
The company plans to utilize this latest funding to further its groundbreaking genetic engineering technologies, expand its de-extinction projects, and develop innovative tools for species preservation and healthcare.
“Our efforts to create cutting-edge technologies for de-extinction have gained tremendous support from the investment community,” said Ben Lamm, CEO and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences. This funding will not only support us to develop new technologies and accelerate our mission to make extinction a thing of the past but also help us to grow our team.
Driving Scientific Innovation and Collaboration
Colossal employs over 170 scientists and works with labs in Boston, Dallas, and Melbourne, Australia. The company also sponsors more than 40 full-time postdoctoral scholars across 16 partner labs at prestigious institutions worldwide. It’s one of the advisory boards that includes more than 95 experts in fields like genomics, ancient DNA, ecology as well as conservational biology.
Together, these teams are tackling complex challenges, such as mapping genetic traits and behaviors, reconstructing developmental pathways, and advancing genome engineering techniques. Their efforts aim to revive extinct species but also help to improve biodiversity conservation of endangered species.
Colossal Raises $200M in Series C Funding from TWG Global, Fueling Groundbreaking Advances in De-Extinction Science
Woolly Mammoth De-Extinction Project: Key Milestones
Over the past three years, the team has achieved numerous milestones. Colossal’s flagship project, the woolly mammoth de-extinction initiative, has made remarkable progress.
- Producing chromosome-scale reference genomes for African and Asian elephants, as well as the rock hyrax, and sharing them on public databases.
- Creating a de novo assembled mammoth genome solely from ancient DNA, identifying genetic loci absent in reference-based assemblies.
- Aligning more than 60 ancient genomes of woolly and Columbian mammoths alongside 30 elephant genomes to enhance variant accuracy.
- Deriving, characterizing, and biobanking over 10 primary cell lines from Asian elephants and other species for conservation and genome editing.
- Establishing pluripotent stem cells for Asian elephants to facilitate embryogenesis and gametogenesis.
- They are developing gene-editing techniques to address cold adaptation traits in mammoths.
- Building a state-of-the-art embryology lab to refine protocols for creating viable elephant embryos.
These advancements position Colossal at the forefront of de-extinction science, with the potential to restore not only mammoths but also ecological balance in their former habitats.
Thylacine and Dodo Projects
In addition to the woolly mammoth, Colossal is working to bring back the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) and the dodo. Key achievements include:
- Assembling the most complete genome for the thylacine to date, achieving a 99.9% completion rate.
- Generating ancient genomes for 11 thylacine specimens to differentiate fixed traits from population-level variations.
- Creating telomere-to-telomere genome sequences for all dasyurid species, aiding both conservation and genetic engineering efforts.
- Establishing stem cell lines and advancing reproductive technologies for marsupial species, including the fat-tailed dunnart.
- Introducing over 300 unique genetic edits into Dunnart cell lines, laying the groundwork for engineering thylacine traits.
- Prototyping artificial womb technologies to support marsupial gestation.
These breakthroughs have positioned Colossal at the forefront of marsupial conservation and genetic engineering.
Dodo De-extinction Project Progress
- Completing high-quality genomes for the dodo, its extinct relative, the solitaire, and the critically endangered manumea.
- Developing genomic resources for the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative.
- Using machine learning to identify genes linked to the dodo’s unique traits, such as its distinctive bill morphology.
- Optimizing protocols for culturing avian primordial germ cells and advancing methods for avian embryology.
Dr Andrew Pask, a lead scientist on the thylacine project, explained that these projects are not just about bringing back endangered species. They are providing new solutions for conserving biodiversity and preserving endangered species
Colossal’s Commitment to Global Conservation and De-Extinction Efforts
By 2050, more than 50% of the world’s animal species are expected to face extinction. Presently, approximately 27,000 species disappear annually, a staggering increase compared to the natural extinction rate of 10 to 100 species per year. Over the last five decades (1970–2020), monitored wildlife populations have experienced a dramatic 73% decline in average size. This ongoing extinction crisis threatens to create severe ripple effects for human health and well-being, including reduced availability of drinkable water, increased land desertification and heightened food insecurity.
While traditional conservation methods are essential, the current environmental challenges demand innovative technologies and scalable approaches to mitigate the rapid pace of ecosystem destruction. Colossal was established to address this crisis by leveraging its cutting-edge de-extinction and species preservation toolkit, comprising software, wetware, and hardware solutions, to combat the biodiversity crisis at a systemic level.
Dr Beth Shapiro, a lead magnet in this field, stated, “The technological advances we’re seeing in genetic engineering and synthetic biology are rapidly transforming understanding of how they might responsibly reintroduce traits from lost species. The real facts lie not just in the technology but also in how we might apply these tools to protect and save endangered species and ecosystems”.
Ripple Effects of Colossal’s Innovations
Colossal’s core projects aim to create a broader impact on species conservation. Each of its de-extinction efforts supports endangered and at-risk species within the same family group. For example:
- The mammoth restoration project has advanced reproductive and genetic technologies applicable to endangered elephant species.
- The dodo restoration program is pioneering avian genetic tools that benefit threatened bird species worldwide.
Through the Colossal Foundation and collaborations with conservation organizations, Colossal converts scientific advances into practical solutions to protect and restore species across diverse taxonomic families.
Key Initiatives
Colossal’s major contributions to conservation include:
- Funding Ancient DNA Research: $7.5 million in donations to study ancient DNA across various species.
- Gene-Engineering Solutions: Developing genetic resistance to cane toad toxins for Australia’s endangered Northern Quoll.
- Partnership with Re:wild:
- A joint 10-year conservation strategy combining Colossal’s genetic technologies and Re: wild’s conservation expertise to save the world’s most endangered species.
- The Lost Species project aimed at rediscovering and conserving lost species.
- The Species Reintroduction Fund to reintroduce threatened species into the wild.
- A distributed genetic repository (biobank) for endangered species as a safety net against extinction.
- Northern White Rhino Conservation: Partnering with the BioRescue consortium to save the world’s most endangered rhino species by creating a genetically healthy population for reintroduction.
- Pink Pigeon Restoration: Collaborating with the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation to boost genetic diversity in the Pink Pigeon.
- AI for Elephant Conservation: Partnering with Save the Elephants to develop an AI platform to monitor African elephant movements in Samburu National Park.
- Bird Call Detection Technology: Creating an AI-powered tool to help conservation partners rediscover the Tooth-billed pigeon, leading to its first sighting in years.
- Critical Funding for Rediscovered Species: Supporting Zoos Victoria to rescue the Victorian grassland earless dragon after its rediscovery following 54 years of presumed extinction.
- Vaquita Conservation: Partnering with ProNatura and CONANP to protect the critically endangered vaquita, the world’s most at-risk marine mammal.
- Sumatran Rhino Rescue Efforts: Hosting an international summit that led to a partnership with IPB University to use advanced genetic technologies for Sumatran rhino conservation.
- Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Search: Renewing efforts to locate America’s most infamous lost species.
- Indigenous Council Initiatives: Collaborating with Indigenous communities in North America to enhance wolf and buffalo conservation efforts.
- Elephant Health Research: Partnering with Baylor College of Medicine to develop a vaccine for Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), a fatal disease in elephants.
- Avian Genomics Toolkit: Partnering with Dr. Andrew Pask at the University of Melbourne to create one of the largest avian genomics toolkits for conservation and de-extinction applications.
Accelerating Conservation with Advanced Technologies
Colossal’s innovative approach is reshaping what is possible in species conservation. Barney Long, Ph.D., Senior Director of Conservation Strategies at Re: wild, remarked, “Colossal is advancing the development of genetic technologies for conservation at a rapid pace. Their cutting-edge technologies are changing what is possible in species conservation and are permitting us to envision a world where many more critically endangered species not only survive but thrive.”
Colossal Raises $200M in Series C Funding from TWG Global, Fueling Groundbreaking Advances in De-Extinction Science
Strategic Investors and Partnerships
Colossal’s initiatives are backed by prominent strategic investors, including USIT, Animal Capital, Breyer Capital, At One Ventures, In-Q-Tel, BOLD Capital, Peak 6, and Draper Associates. Renowned private investors such as Robert Nelsen, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Ric Edelman, Brandon Fugal, Paul Tudor Jones, Richard Garriott, Giammaria Giuliani, Sven-Olof Lindblad, Victor Vescovo, and Jeff Wilke have also contributed to Colossal’s efforts.
Colossal’s commitment to innovation and collaboration is setting a new benchmark for biodiversity conservation and de-extinction efforts, offering hope for a future where endangered and lost species can thrive once more.
