Lyssa-Noel Frater
From De-Extinction to Artificial Intelligence
Ben Lamm has made headlines for audacious projects before. As cofounder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, he’s spearheading efforts to bring back extinct species and push the boundaries of biotechnology. But while Colossal has captured the public’s imagination, Lamm has been quietly preparing a different kind of leap: the launch of Astromech, a $30 million artificial intelligence venture.
The move into AI isn’t as far afield as it might seem. Colossal’s de-extinction projects generate enormous volumes of genetic data — from sequencing ancient DNA to modeling ecological reintroductions. Traditional methods can’t always keep pace with the complexity of that information. Artificial intelligence offers a way to accelerate analysis, improve predictive accuracy, and uncover insights that human researchers alone couldn’t reach. The question is whether Astromech is being designed as the computational backbone for Colossal’s long-term ambitions — or as a standalone platform with far broader applications.
Partnering With George Church
At the center of Astromech is a collaboration between Lamm and renowned Harvard geneticist George Church. Church is one of the most recognized figures in modern genetics, and pairing his scientific depth with Lamm’s operational expertise gives the new venture immediate credibility.
Church has long worked at the intersection of biology and computation, pioneering projects in high-throughput sequencing, CRISPR applications, and synthetic biology. His lab has explored AI-driven modeling in protein folding and genome design — exactly the kinds of capabilities that could supercharge new biotech applications. With Lamm’s proven track record of scaling visionary science into businesses, Astromech’s leadership team is signaling ambitions well beyond a typical AI startup.
A Venture Built in Stealth
Unlike Colossal, which launched with media buzz and bold promises, Astromech has been deliberately constructed in the background. No glossy press releases, no early demos — only incorporation papers in Delaware and a trail of SEC filings.
The silence may be more than a stylistic choice. In a space where AI applications touch on biosecurity, intellectual property, and national competitiveness, a stealth build could be as much about protection as confidence. By keeping development out of the public eye, Lamm and Church may be shielding sensitive breakthroughs from competitors — or simply ensuring they can refine the technology before the inevitable scrutiny arrives.
The $30M Raise Comes Into Focus
SEC documentation finally provided the first real glimpse into the company, confirming $30 million raised in initial funding. For a startup with no public product, that figure underlines both the strength of the founding team and the belief investors have in their vision.
Most early-stage biotech AI ventures raise between $5 million and $15 million. Astromech’s $30 million raise suggests heavyweight backers and an accelerated development roadmap. The size of the round implies that this is not exploratory research alone — but a build-to-launch strategy with concrete commercial or scientific targets already scoped.
Positioning for the Next Era of Biotech
What makes Astromech particularly intriguing is how it complements, rather than competes with, Lamm’s work at Colossal. Artificial intelligence has increasingly become a critical tool for analyzing complex biological data, modeling genetic systems, and accelerating research.
Potential applications are wide-ranging:
- Optimizing genome editing to minimize off-target CRISPR effects.
- Predictive ecological modeling for rewilding efforts.
- Drug discovery platforms leveraging Colossal’s genomic libraries.
If Astromech becomes the bridge between Colossal’s science and scalable computational tools, it could both strengthen Colossal’s de-extinction mission and open entirely new commercial paths in pharma, synthetic biology, and beyond.
The Funding Bet on Biotech + AI
Astromech’s stealth approach leaves much unanswered, but one conclusion is clear: Ben Lamm is positioning himself at the intersection of two transformative industries. The convergence of biotechnology and artificial intelligence is already reshaping the life sciences, with companies like Recursion, Insitro, and Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs setting the pace.
Astromech enters that landscape with a unique advantage: founders who have already proven they can push scientific frontiers while building sustainable businesses. Whether it becomes the AI engine behind Colossal’s boldest projects or an independent force in biotech, Astromech’s trajectory could redefine how biology is designed, understood, and applied.