Ben Lamm

Mammoth Interest: The CIA Invests in Dallas-Based Colossal Biosciences

by | Oct 11, 2022
The Central Intelligence Agency has invested in Colossal through its nonprofit VC investment arm, In-Q-Tel, reports The Intercept. Named in honor of Q—the tech genius from the James Bond novels and movies—the VC firm was founded in 1999 to keep U.S. intelligence agencies on the cutting edge of "innovative and impactful technologies coming out of Silicon Valley and beyond." So why Colossal? "Strategically, it’s less about the mammoths and more about the capability," In-Q-Tel says.
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The Last Word: Colossal’s Ben Lamm on Seeing His Startup Fuel a ‘Jeopardy’ Answer
by | Oct 3, 2022
In August, Colossal Biosciences announced it is working to "de-extinct" the Tasmanian tiger with the help of an Australian university and “marsupial biobanking.” It didn't take long for the TV show "Jeopardy" to notice—and work it into an answer.
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Follow the Money: Book.io Aims to Put E-Books on the Blockchain with New Funding, Tech Startup Kalpa Aims to Raise $1M, and More
by | Sep 30, 2022
In this week’s North Texas deal flow, you’ll also find news about crowdfunding platform Harvest Return landing $2.5M; Supply’s acquisition by Foundry Brands; Moss Adams acquiring local CPA firm Kurtz & Company P.C.; Tri Global Energy being acquired for $270M by Canada's Enbridge; and more.
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Form Bio Spins Out of Colossal Bioscience to Offer Scientists the ‘Missing Piece’
by | Sep 27, 2022
Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences, the de-extinction company behind plans to bring back the woolly mammoth and thylacine, developed its own software solution "after reviewing everything available on the market." Now it's sharing the platform with the launch of Form Bio.

The spinout's technology tools can help drive the “entire molecular revolution” that is occurring in the life sciences and biotech space, in addition to bolstering the Lone Star state as a hub for the industry, says Chief Strategy Officer Claire Aldridge.
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Funding

Follow the Money: Dallas SPAC Raises $123M IPO, FortyTwo.VC Aims to Raise $50M Fund, Crestline Investors Closes Funds with $3.6B in Commitments, and More

by | Mar 21, 2022
What companies are finding funding or having a big exit? From startup investments to grants and acquisitions, Dallas Innovates tracks what’s happening in North Texas money.
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Mammoth Project: Dallas’ Colossal Raises $60M to Advance Genetic Engineering and ‘De-Extinction’ Technologies
Colossal launched last September with a plan to "de-extinct" the woolly mammoth by using CRISPR genetic engineering to create a mammoth-elephant hybrid. With a total raise of $75 million to date, the startup aims to have its first set of mammoth-elephant hybrid calves "in 4 to 6 years," co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm told us. But Colossal's goals extend much further—with the potential "to advance human health, enhance food production, reduce environmental impact, and optimize animal health and welfare."
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Dallas’ Ben Lamm and Harvard’s Dr. George Church Plan to ‘De-Extinct’ the Woolly Mammoth With Their Colossal New Startup
by | Sep 13, 2021
It's not "Jurassic Park," but it's almost as amazing. Hypergiant founder Ben Lamm is launching a new biosciences and genetics startup—Colossal—with $15 million in private funding. The goal: Use genomics to "de-extinct" the woolly mammoth and re-wild it on the Arctic tundra. Lamm's co-founder, Harvard geneticist Dr. George Church, says this "grand vision" could lead to big opportunities in conservation, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and more.
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algae hypergiant industries

The Art of Climate Tech: Fort Worth Museum Showcases Hypergiant’s AI-Powered, Carbon-Capturing Eos Bioreactor

by | Nov 10, 2020
The Eos Bioreactor, which also has been featured in Popular Mechanics, uses algae to "eat" CO2.
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Hypergiant Industries Brings on Former IBM General Manager Mohammed Farooq as Global CTO
by | Sep 22, 2020
Farooq will also join the Board of Directors and be the GM of Products at the Texas-based startup. The move is expected to set Hypergiant up for accelerated growth.
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‘Minutes, Not Months’: Texas‑based Hypergiant Partners With United States Air Force on Satellites That Update in Real Time
by | Jun 30, 2020
A fleet of mini-satellites working together in space will update actions and tasks ‘on the fly’ based on emerging scenarios and mission needs, says CEO Ben Lamm. That’s something that’s never been done before. That ability to update, collect, and share data in space—in real time—is an evolution for defense and commercial use cases.
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worlds Copps AI artificial intelligence
Worlds Raises $10M in Series A Funding as Dave Copps’ AI Startup Launches From Stealth
by | Feb 6, 2020
The startup, spun out of Hypergiant Sensory Sciences, plans to use the funding to power its "first-of-its-kind" Extended Reality environment, which can be used to build AI-models to give businesses and organizations a new way to view their physical world.
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Bill Nye, Former Astronaut, Retired Four Star General Among Hypergiant’s All-Star Advisers

by | Jun 26, 2019
With his new role on the Executive Advisory Board, Nye is looking to develop AI systems in two areas he deeply cares about: climate change and space exploration. "We need to think big," he said, "and I'm very optimistic about what AI can do to make the world quite a bit better."
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Hypergiant
Hypergiant Industries Gains Funding from Sumitomo Corp. of Americas, Perot Jain
by | Jun 5, 2019
The funding comes roughly a year after Hypergiant launched out of stealth—a year filled with growing revenue (eight figures in the first 12 months), A-list partnerships (Microsoft, Adobe, SAP, Booz Allen, Nvidia), and launching three separate businesses under the parent company.
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hyper giant space age solutions
Hypergiant Space Age Solutions Acquires Custom Software Studio
by | Dec 18, 2018
Black Pixel, a Seattle-based custom software development studio for flagship brands, will bolster Hypergiant Industries' portfolio of offerings.
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Ben Lamm and Andrew Busey founded Conversable in 2016. [Photo: Conversable]
Texas AI Company Conversable Acquired by LivePerson
by | Oct 1, 2018
Conversable will join LivePerson in "taking conversational commerce to the 'Main Street' market," according to Conversable co-founder Ben Lamm. Conversation technology is a “transformative interface,” he says.
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