Bringing Back the Woolly Mammoth, the Big Business of Solving Extinction
HCD Luncheon Series
Rare Chat with Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences
Moderated by Ganesh Raj MD, PhD
Ben Lamm has raised over $250 million from investors such as Arch Ventures, Jazz Ventures, Thomas Tull, Paris Hilton and the CIA, to solve the next great challenge: to help the planet by preventing the extinction of species, and bringing back extinct species, such as the woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger and the dodo bird.
Cofounded by George Church, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Colossal creates disruptive technologies for extinct species restoration, critically endangered species protection and the repopulation of critical ecosystems that support the continuation of life on Earth. The company is the first to apply CRISPR technology for the purposes of species de-extinction, beginning with the woolly mammoth.
Colossal Biosciences will be the subject of a multiyear long TV series documenting the team’s work as they aim to use CRISPR technology to re-populate extinct species in the wild. Colossal, along with production partner Teton Ridge Entertainment has signed an agreement with James Reed, the director behind the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, and his company Underdog Films, to produce the series.
This is a chance to hear Ben speak about the business and science of de-extinction, saving the climate and the planet, and hear firsthand from one of today’s most exciting entrepreneurs and businessmen.
Lunch will be at Pegasus Park, whose under-construction Biotech+ Hub will be the next home for Colossal Biosciences.
About Colossal Biosciences
Colossal Biosciences is a breakthrough bioscience and genetic engineering company that builds radical new technologies to advance the field of genomics. Colossal creates disruptive technologies for extinct species restoration, critically endangered species protection, and the repopulation of critical ecosystems that support the continuation of life on Earth. The company is the first to apply CRISPR technology for the purposes of species de-extinction, beginning with the woolly mammoth. Colossal is accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state, while also solving for the future economies and biological necessities of the human condition through cutting-edge science and technologies.
About Ben Lamm
Ben Lamm is the co-founder and CEO of Colossal. Ben is a serial technology entrepreneur driven to solve the most complex challenges facing our planet. For over a decade, Ben has built disruptive businesses that future-proof our world. In addition to leading and growing his own companies, he is passionate about emerging technology, science, space and climate change. Active in angel investing, incubators and startup communities, Ben invests in software and emerging tech, and is deeply engaged in the technology, defense and climate change communities.
Prior to Colossal, Ben served as the founder and CEO to a number of companies, including Hypergiant, an enterprise AI software company focused on critical infractures, space, and defense; Conversable, the leading conversational intelligence platform that helps brands reach customers through automated experiences acquired by LivePerson; and Chaotic Moon, a global creative technology powerhouse acquired by Accenture. Ben was also the co-founder of Team Chaos, a consumer gaming company acquired by Zynga.
Ben is a fellow of the Explorer's Club, whose mission is to promote the scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space by supporting research and education in the physical, natural and biological sciences. He also serves as a Scientific Advisory Board member on the Planetary Society and sits on the Advisory Board for the Arch Mission. Ben has appeared as a thought leader in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Wired, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and Newsweek on topics such as innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
About Ganesh Raj, MD, PhD
Dr. Raj is an internationally recognized urologic surgeon and scientist. He completed his residency training at Duke University and fellowship training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and is a professor of Urology and Pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. His work is represented by 200+ publications, 30+ patents, 3 spinoffs, and many honors, including induction into the prestigious American Society of Clinical Investigation.. He is a founder and chief Scientific officer of Etira, which is advancing its lead drug to clinical trials in therapy-resistant cancers in Q2 2024.
This is the final lunch in the Annual HCD Lunch Series for the academic year June 2023-June 2024. This annual lunch series is free for all HCD patron members. We will begin to announce our events for 2024-2025 over the summer.
Special welcome to our friends from the Columbia, Cornell and Princeton Clubs
DETAILS:
Date: March 29, 2024
Time: 11:30 am - 1:00pm
Location: Pegasus Park, 3000 Pegasus Park Dr, Dallas, TX 75247
Cost: Patrons - Free
Guests of Patrons - $45.00
Regular Members/Parents/Spouses - $45.00
Members Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, MIT and Yale Clubs - $45.00
Recent Grads/Students - $40.00
Guests/Non Members - $65.00
HBS Members - $45.00
Questions: 469-431-1436 or velda@sacleadership.com
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