Built Different: Inside Colossal Biosciences & the Big Bet ...

Technology companies often talk about moonshots. Few attempt them at the scale of Colossal Biosciences. In the latest episode of Built Different, Mohak Shroff, President of Platforms and Digital Work at Microsoft, visited the company's Dallas headquarters to understand what it takes to pursue an idea as audacious as reversing extinction.

Colossal is using genomics, synthetic biology, and computational tools to attempt something unprecedented: reviving extinct species like the moa, woolly mammoth, and bluebuck, and protecting fragile ecosystems through engineered biodiversity. Their work sits at the intersection of deep tech, conservation, and ethics - a place where scientific imagination meets real-world responsibility.

As CEO Ben Lamm puts it, "We want to make extinction a thing of the past. If we are correct in all of our technologies and we fast forward, I think that we have a world where we as humanity understand biodiversity at a much greater scale. We understand our connection to nature much, much deeper."

Achieving that vision requires more than breakthroughs in bioengineering or genetic editing. Colossal has to solve a systems problem. De-extinction touches conservation policy, ecological modeling, community engagement, and long-term stewardship. The company works with partners like the American Humane Society and has established both a youth board and an Indigenous board to ensure their work is grounded in ethical, cultural, and ecological context. Ambition at this scale demands governance as innovative as the science itself.

The company's business model reflects another reality of long-horizon innovation: the commercial payoff may come from the platform built along the way, not the immediate mission. Revenue for Colossal may not generate from de-extinction itself. Instead, the reproductive technologies, computational tools, and genetic techniques developed in pursuit of species revival may have applications in areas such as rare disease therapeutics.

Built Different with Mohak Shroff goes behind the scenes with technologists making long-term bets with world-shaping potential. The series offers a firsthand look at how builders tackle today's toughest challenges - and the ripple effects their innovations create. Follow Mohak on LinkedIn to see where he goes next.