Colossal Biosciences, a “de-extinction” startup working to revive long-lost species such as the woolly mammoth, is acquiring a Texas-based company with an equally eye-catching mission: cloning pets. The deal marks Colossal’s first-ever acquisition and brings under its wings ViaGen, a venture specializing in reproducing deceased dogs, cats and horses. Its star-studded client list features Barbra Streisand, Paris Hilton and Argentine president Javier Milei.
However, Colossal CEO Ben Lamm insists the move wasn’t motivated by celebrity pet cloning. “That’s not why we bought them,” he told Observer. What Colossal really wanted, according to Lamm, is ViaGen’s deep expertise in cloning and preserving genetic samples from endangered species.
ViaGen has previously deployed cloning technologies—licensed from the lab that created Dolly the sheep in 1996—to produce genetic twins of animals like the black-footed ferret and Przewalski’s horse. The latter was successfully cloned from cryopreserved tissue, marking a milestone in conservation cloning.
Such breakthroughs make ViaGen a “natural fit” for Colossal, said Lamm, who co-founded the de-extinction company in 2021 with geneticist George Church to restore vanished species by engineering ancient DNA into the genomes of modern relatives. Cloning, which relies on a technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, is particularly vital to Colossal’s work on mammalian species. “It was hard to find a reason not to do it,” Lamm said.
Colossal did not disclose the financial details of its acquisition, which Lamm described as a “decently large transaction.” The startup’s ambitious goals—already leading to developments such as the “woolly mouse” and the insertion of dire wolf DNA into gray wolves—are backed by a high-profile roster of investors, including Hilton, actor Joe Manganiello and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. Colossal is currently valued at more than $10.3 billion following a $200 million funding round in January and a subsequent $120 million funding extension.
Cloning cats and dogs
Under the agreement, ViaGen will operate as a subsidiary of Colossal and continue to be led by Blake Russell, the company’s president, with all 25 employees remaining at its Austin headquarters. “Joining forces with Colossal—the only de-extinction company and leader in biotechnology—gives ViaGen the scale, resources and shared vision to expand what we can do,” Russell said in a statement, noting plans to ramp up the company’s work in endangered species recovery.
Founded in 2002, ViaGen started off with a focus on the genetic preservation of livestock. Over the past decade, however, it has become best known for its pet cloning services, which cost $50,000 for cats and dogs and $85,000 for horses.
ViaGen will continue that line of business, said Lamm, who drew parallels between pet cloning and Colossal’s de-extinction mission, describing both as efforts to spread “hope” and spark public excitement about science and conservation. While cloning pets isn’t part of Colossal’s business model, Lamm argued the controversial practice can still serve a personal purpose. “There are people who are emotionally devastated when they lose their pet, and if this is a means to end that suffering on a personal level, then I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” he said.
Expanding the genetic frontier
The acquisition won’t alter Colossal’s path toward profitability, which remains focused on its long-term de-extinction projects rather than immediate revenue. To date, Colossal’s commercial efforts have centered on spinning off companies such as Form Bio, which focuses on computational biology; Breaking, which develops plastic degradation technologies; and a third, unnamed venture—all valued at more than $100 million each.
Reviving extinct species like the woolly mammoth, dodo bird and Tasmanian tiger remains Colossal’s core ambition. While the ViaGen deal may not accelerate those timelines, Lamm believes it broadens the company’s capabilities. “I think it could create optionality for additional de-extinction targets,” he said.