Kraig Biocraft Laboratories is a biotechnology company that uses proprietary genetic engineering to modify domesticated silkworms to produce and spin recombinant spider silk for industrial, medical, and defense applications. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Kraig Biocraft Laboratories CEO and Founder Kim Thompson to learn more.
Kim Thompson’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background and your role at Kraig Biocraft Laboratories? Thompson said:
I studied Applied Economics at Michigan State University and entered the world of manufacturing and finance. I earned my Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School. I built a career, founding three successful law firms focused on commercial litigation and transactions. I represented numerous companies, from small caps and technology startups to Fortune 100 companies.
While studying industries’ early attempts to produce biomaterials, I invented a protein expression platform for producing recombinant spider silk. I founded Kraig Biocraft Laboratories to develop and commercialize that technology.
As the inventor of the technology and the CEO, I am, as my grandfather would say, ‘the chef, cook, and bottle washer.’ I have my hands on all aspects of our business, from ongoing research and development to production. Of course, now I have a team of experts, including an amazing chief scientist who has taken my platform and substantially expanded its potential beyond what we could do in the company’s early days.
Barriers
Spider silk has fascinated scientists, materials companies, and textile innovators for decades, yet commercialization has remained elusive. What have been the biggest technical and manufacturing barriers preventing spider silk from reaching mainstream industrial scale? Thompson acknowledged:
The barriers have been real and formidable. The first is biological. Spiders are territorial and cannibalistic; you simply cannot farm them in concentrated colonies.
Because of that limitation, researchers spent decades searching for alternative ways to produce spider silk. Many groups turned to fermentation systems using bacteria, yeast, or other host organisms to manufacture spider silk proteins.
That led directly to the next challenge: producing the proteins themselves. Spider silk proteins are extraordinarily large and complex molecules. Getting biological systems to produce those proteins correctly at a commercial scale has proven extremely difficult.
But producing the proteins is only the first step.
What makes spider silk extraordinary is not just the proteins themselves, but how those proteins are interconnected in a complex matrix to make spider silk. Spider silk derives many of its remarkable properties from the spinning process itself. Spinning is the biological process that converts liquid proteins into highly organized fibers with exceptional strength, toughness, and elasticity.
Spinning has been one of the biggest limitations of competing production systems. Fermentation systems can make proteins, but they can’t spin natural fibers. That means relying on artificial spinning systems and complex manufacturing processes that increase costs. Artificial processing also often fails to reproduce the characteristics that make spider silk so valuable in the first place.
Then there is the economics. Producing grams of protein in a laboratory is one thing. Producing tons of finished fiber at commercially viable costs is something entirely different. Many technologies demonstrated scientific progress, but couldn’t scale to support real industrial markets.
This is where our approach is fundamentally different. We leverage the silkworm, nature’s most efficient silk fiber manufacturing system. Silkworms do not just produce proteins; they naturally spin continuous fibers using a biological process refined over millions of years of evolution.
That allows us to solve biology, manufacturing, and production economics simultaneously. We leverage an existing global textile infrastructure already producing more than 150,000 metric tons of silk.
From the beginning, we believed that if spider silk was going to become a commercial material, it needed to fit into existing supply chains and manufacturing systems. That belief shaped our strategy from day one. We believe it is a major reason why we are now seeing success at commercial scale.
Changes In Technologies
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories is using genetic engineering and advanced biotechnology to advance recombinant spider silk production. How are these technologies changing what is possible in next-generation silk manufacturing? Thompson shared:
Genetic engineering is the key. It is the technology that makes all of this possible.
What we have done is engineer spider silk gene sequences directly into the silkworm’s genome. When one of our silkworms spins its cocoon, it is naturally spinning recombinant spider silk fibers. The silkworm does the work. The silkworm is the factory. Our production methodology is a major departure from the Industrial Revolution, when it was machine over nature. We are bringing nature back into the equation.
Our most recent work, which I genuinely believe is the most ambitious application of genetic engineering to materials science in world history, is pushing the boundaries of what spider silk proteins can be. As part of that work, we’ve set the world record for the largest gene insert in silkworm. We have doubled what was previously considered possible. We’ve successfully created recombinant versions of Darwin Bark Spider silk, which is among the toughest biological materials ever measured. We’ve opened the door to entirely new classes of biomaterials, including Caddis Fly silk with potential for underwater adhesion and performance.
What this means practically is that we are not limited to mimicking what spiders produce in nature. We are engineering materials that go far beyond what nature has ever produced. That is a fundamentally new capability, and we are just scratching the surface of what is possible. I don’t think the broader world has fully appreciated what that means yet.
Advances Of Engineered Silkworms
Many companies pursuing spider silk have focused on fermentation-based production systems. Why did Kraig choose engineered silkworms as its production platform, and what advantages does that approach provide in terms of scalability, fiber quality, and manufacturability? Thompson pointed out:
I’ll be direct about this: fermentation-based approaches can produce spider silk protein analogs, but they do not produce spider silk fiber. That’s a critical distinction.
When you ferment spider silk proteins in yeast or bacteria, you get a protein solution. You then have to spin that solution into a fiber artificially. The problem is that the spinning process itself is a major factor in what gives spider silk its extraordinary properties. The way a spider or a silkworm draws fiber through its spinneret creates a molecular alignment and a hierarchical protein structure that has not been successfully replicated artificially at a commercial scale. Fermentation-based approaches have consistently produced materials that fall short of natural spider silk’s performance, particularly in toughness.
Our calculations indicate that fermentation-based systems cannot produce recombinant spider silk at a price point competitive with Kraig Labs. Our silkworms spin naturally, resulting in fiber quality that fermentation simply cannot match. Our manufacturing process is fully compatible with the existing global silk and textile industry.
Beyond fiber quality, scalability is critical. Traditional sericulture has been practiced for thousands of years across the globe. The infrastructure, the expertise, the supply chain; it all exists. We are not building an entirely new industry. We are transforming one that already works at an extraordinary scale. That is a profound competitive advantage.
Operational Breakthroughs
Moving from laboratory-scale production to larger-volume output is a major milestone for any advanced materials company. What operational, scientific, and supply chain breakthroughs have been most important in helping Kraig reach this stage? Thompson noted:
There are several that I consider truly defining.
On the scientific side, the development of our BAM-1 hybrid and its subsequent evolution, the BAM-1 Alpha, was transformational. By mating two genetically divergent silkworm strains, we achieved hybrid vigor, which dramatically increased both cocoon shell weight and production silkworm robustness. The BAM-1 Alpha builds on that foundation and has delivered significant jumps in silk yield while maintaining production reliability.
On the operational side, our strategic relocation to the heart of silk production in Southeast Asia has been enormously important. Moving our rearing centers gave us access to a mature supply chain, skilled workers, and facilities critical to rapidly scale production. All of that builds the vertical integration that enables sustained monthly metric-ton-level production.
Lastly, we validated that our fiber is compatible with existing processing equipment. That was a critical proof point. Our work has demonstrated that spider silk fibers can move through conventional yarn processing and textile manufacturing methods. It means our potential customers don’t have to make major changes in their manufacturing process. They simply introduce a silk that is dramatically superior.
Industry Partnerships
Kraig sees apparel, luxury, and performance textiles as key early commercial opportunities. Why are those markets particularly well-suited for recombinant spider silk, and what kinds of products or partnerships are you most excited about? Thompson explained:
Apparel, and particularly high-performance and luxury apparel, is the right entry market for several strategic reasons.
The commercialization pathway is far simpler than medical or defense applications. In apparel, if the material performs and the consumer loves it, you can move. The product cycles are faster. The brands are innovation-hungry, particularly in the performance, athletic, and luxury segments. These markets are actively seeking materials that deliver both exceptional performance and a compelling sustainability story.
Our recombinant spider silk offers something genuinely unprecedented: strength and toughness combined with the breathability, drape, and luxurious feel of a natural silk fiber, all in a biodegradable material. That combination does not exist anywhere else, not in synthetics, not in traditional silk, not in any other emerging biomaterial.
In the near term, we are excited about potential joint ventures in apparel and high fashion. In the long term, we are exploring composite materials for industrial and defense applications.
Future Of Premium Textiles And Advanced Fabrics
Consumers and brands are increasingly focused on sustainability, performance, and alternatives to synthetic materials. How do you see a nature-based, high-performance fiber like recombinant spider silk fitting into the future of premium textiles and advanced fabrics? Thompson described:
The timing could not be better for what we’re bringing to market.
The fashion and textile industry is under enormous pressure to move away from petroleum-derived synthetics. Synthetics are everywhere; they shed microplastics, they don’t biodegrade, and increasingly, consumers and regulators are asking hard questions about them. At the same time, brands are discovering that “sustainable” alternatives often require performance trade-offs. Recycled fibers and plant-based materials can be marketed as green, but they often can’t match the functional performance of synthetics.
Recombinant spider silk changes that equation entirely. It is a nature-derived, protein-based fiber that has the potential to outperform alternatives by blending strength, toughness, and elasticity. You don’t have to choose between sustainability and performance. You get both. That is an extremely compelling value proposition in today’s market. I believe it will become even more compelling as consumer preferences and regulatory frameworks continue to evolve.
Spider silk has a story that resonates deeply. There is a cultural fascination with this material that goes far beyond the technical specifications. Brands understand that the materials they select tell a story. Spider silk has one of the greatest stories and best performance in the natural world.
Navigating Skepticism
There has long been skepticism around whether spider silk could ever be commercially viable at scale. How has Kraig Labs navigated those doubts over the years, and what has kept the company committed to this vision? Thompson detailed:
When I first invented this technology, I was told it could never work. The concept of producing spider silk from transgenic silkworms struck many self-described experts as scientifically impossible. But we knew our vision was sound, and it was only a matter of time before we proved the science in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). After that publication, our biggest critic switched his research focus to studying silkworms. He was unable to catch up with our lead.
I’ve always believed that the skepticism, while understandable, was rooted in a failure of imagination. The fact that no one had done it before was not evidence that it couldn’t be done. It was evidence that it was hard. Hard problems take time, the right team, and an unwillingness to accept “no” as a final answer.
What has kept us going is the conviction that we are building something genuinely important, not a marginal improvement on an existing material. We are creating a new category of performance fiber. We see applications for spider silk in apparel, defense, medicine, and other industrial use cases yet to be imagined. When you believe that deeply in what you’re building, the skeptics don’t have much power over you.
And now the results are speaking for themselves. Record production. Multiple rearing centers. Broad commercial interest and growing public interest in our work.
Differentiation From Other Materials
What makes Kraig’s spider silk platform meaningfully different from traditional silk, synthetic fibers, and other emerging biomaterials? Thompson affirmed:
Let me take those one at a time.
Traditional silk is a remarkable natural fiber. Traditional silk has performance characteristics useful for apparel, but does not approach the strength, flexibility, and overall toughness of spider silk. Traditional silk is soft and lustrous. Our Dragon Silk™ fibers have demonstrated tensile strengths and toughness characteristics that place them in a completely different performance category. We’re also actively working on an entirely new class of fibers. These new materials include those inspired by Darwin Bark Spider silk, Caddis Fly silk, and others not yet disclosed. These are fibers with properties well beyond those of mundane silk. We believe these materials will truly stand alone as a class of bio-inspired super materials.
Against synthetics, the story is performance plus sustainability. Kevlar is tough, but it’s a petroleum-derived synthetic fiber that doesn’t biodegrade. Kevlar lacks the biological elegance of a protein-based fiber. Nylon and polyester dominate the performance apparel market, but they come with the full environmental baggage of the petrochemical supply chain. Our material is genuinely nature-derived, biodegradable, and breathable. It is the only high-performance fiber that can make that claim without sacrificing its performance.
Compared with other emerging biomaterials, including fermentation-based fibers, the distinction is that we produce real silk fiber. Our fibers are naturally spun through a biological process that has been refined over millions of years. The fiber quality and performance are inherently superior because the spinning process itself is done right. We also remain the first and only company in the world to have fielded transgenic silkworms for the commercial-scale production of naturally spun recombinant spider silk.
What Success Looks Like
Looking ahead, what does success for Kraig Biocraft Laboratories look like over the next several years, both in terms of production scale and broader adoption of spider silk across global industries? Thompson concluded:
Success, to me, looks like sustained monthly metric-ton-level production. Our silk flowing into the commercial supply chains for textiles, performance apparel, and luxury fashion. I believe we are in the early stages of what will become a much broader portfolio of applications.
In the near term, we’re building that foundation. Our three production facilities are ramping in parallel. Our double-hybrid production system is coming online shortly. Our supply chain has been locked down. The target is not just volume. It’s reliability, repeatability, and scalability for real commercial production. The world’s first. That’s what we’re delivering.
In the medium term, I see us establishing a globally recognized brand and forming Joint Ventures with vertical control in premium performance athletic wear, luxury fashion, and technical textiles. Markets where strength-to-weight and sustainability matter. I see our advanced materials pipeline delivering entirely new fiber types with properties that expand beyond what is currently possible. Our work in Darwin Bark Spider silk, our world-record gene insert, and our Caddis Fly silk are not just scientific achievements; they are the foundation of a next-generation of products the world hasn’t seen yet.
I believe spider silk will become a valuable material in medicine, defense, aerospace, and in applications we’re just beginning to understand. The material is extraordinary. Our job is to build the production platform and the commercial relationships that make that broader future possible.
When we started, many people questioned whether commercial spider silk production was even possible. Today, we are operating at production scales that very few thought achievable just two years ago. That progress gives me tremendous confidence in where this company is headed and in the long-term future of this technology.
