Forecasting Evolution: How Astromech Is Reimagining Biology

Amid an ambitious effort to revive extinct species like the woolly mammoth, dodo bird, and Tasmanian tiger, entrepreneur Ben Lamm is simultaneously charting a new course in artificial intelligence. While leading groundbreaking work at Colossal Biosciences, Lamm has quietly launched a new venture designed to push the boundaries of biological prediction. The startup, Astromech, emerged from Colossal in stealth mode and is focused on building a predictive engine for biology—one that could anticipate evolution, disease risk, and system vulnerabilities before they occur. This isn’t the first spinoff from Colossal’s ecosystem, in 2022, the company spun out Form Bio with $30 million in funding, an AI-based software platform helping scientists manage large and complex datasets. Colossal also launched Breaking.com, a venture focused on plastic degradation.

Rapid Growth and Investor Confidence

Despite operating in what Lamm describes as “deep research and validation mode,” Astromech has already attracted significant investor attention. According to recent filings, the company raised $10.5 million in its latest funding round, bringing total funding to $40.5 million.

Even more striking is its valuation: the pre-revenue startup has reached $2 billion just nine months after spinning out of Colossal. Lamm has expressed confidence that the company’s valuation may still underestimate its long-term potential, given the scale and ambition of its technological goals.

How the Technology Works

At its core, Astromech is developing a sophisticated platform that merges multiple scientific approaches into a unified system. The technology integrates deep learning algorithms capable of identifying biological patterns across species with Bayesian ancestral reconstruction methods that model evolutionary pathways.

Together, these tools form what Lamm describes as a “biological intelligence architecture.” This system combines genomic, evolutionary, and functional data to predict how living organisms change over time. In simpler terms, Astromech aims to forecast biology by mapping where life is headed before it gets there.

Why Predictive Biology Matters

The implications of this technology are far-reaching. If successful, Astromech’s platform could shift how scientists and industries approach biological challenges. Instead of reacting to disease outbreaks or genetic vulnerabilities, researchers could anticipate and mitigate risks in advance.

This predictive capability could impact multiple fields, including human healthcare, microbial research, agriculture, and wildlife conservation. By identifying points of vulnerability and resilience early, the platform could enable more proactive and precise interventions across biological systems.

A Pattern of Innovation at Colossal

Astromech is not the first venture to emerge from Colossal’s ecosystem. In 2022, the company launched Form Bio, a platform focused on accelerating advancements in genetic medicine and synthetic biology.

This pattern reflects Colossal’s broader strategy: when technologies developed for de-extinction reveal broader applications, they are spun out into independent companies. This allows Colossal to remain focused on its core mission while enabling new innovations to scale in adjacent fields.

Looking Ahead

As Astromech continues to refine its predictive models, its success will ultimately depend on whether it can deliver on its bold promise: accurately forecasting biological change. If it succeeds, the startup could fundamentally reshape how scientists understand evolution and disease—moving from a reactive framework to one rooted in prediction and prevention.

In doing so, Astromech represents not just another AI company, but a potential turning point in how humanity interacts with the living world.