Colossal Biosciences as a company name was picked to engage children, says chief executive Ben Lamm.
Credit: Colossal Biosciences
As the world faces the loss of up to 25% of biodiversity by 2050, we at Colossal Biosciences wanted a name that encompasses three key ideas: the challenge we face, our groundbreaking solution, and our flagship species, the mammoth. Concepts like climate change, biodiversity loss, CRISPR technology, artificial intelligence, and advanced embryology can be tough for the public to understand. Thus, we chose ‘Colossal Biosciences’ because the loss of species is a colossal issue, our solutions are ambitious, and the mammoth itself is an impressive creature.
We aimed for our brand name to resonate with everyone, especially children. We often receive adorable drawings of dodos and baby mammoths from kids, along with letters from parents expressing gratitude for inspiring their children in science. They say things like, ‘Thank you for helping make science cool!’
A Big, Awesome Name
In crafting the name Colossal, I collaborated with Chris Klee, our executive vice president of design, and Chris Stevens, a co-founder of our branding agency, Maven Creative in Orlando, Florida. Over the past 20 years, we’ve teamed up on various projects. We brainstormed a shortlist of potential names—including ‘Huge’, ‘Macedon’ (after an ancient kingdom), and ‘Footprint’ (symbolizing the unique mark each species leaves). The focus was on capturing something ‘big and awesome’. ‘Mammoth’ made the cut since we are tackling a mammoth challenge, but we didn’t want to limit ourselves to just one species.
We also liked the name ‘Colossus’, which reflects teamwork with the ‘us’ at the end. However, since Colossus is a character from the Marvel Universe, we opted for something less Hollywood. We even toyed with names that reference evolution, like ‘Darwin’. Ultimately, when we said ‘Colossal’ out loud, we knew it was the perfect choice!
Choosing Colossal involved more than just the name; we also created a brand that captures the vibe of ‘Harvard University meets 1980s MTV’.
Summary: Colossal Biosciences, the world’s first de-extinction company, aims to revive lost species such as the mammoth using CRISPR gene-editing technology. Founded by Ben Lamm and George Church, the name ‘Colossal’ was chosen to reflect the monumental challenges of biodiversity loss and to engage younger audiences. The branding encompasses both scientific ambition and approachability, aiming to inspire the next generation in science.
