Kraig Biocraft Laboratories

What Kraig Biocraft Laboratories does

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) is a publicly traded biotechnology company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that develops and produces recombinant spider silk fibers using genetically engineered silkworms. The company's core technology is a transgenic silkworm platform that produces spider silk proteins naturally through the silkworm's biological spinning process, bypassing the cost and scale limitations of fermentation-based protein production. Production is operated through its wholly owned subsidiary Prodigy Silk Ltd. (DBA Prodigy Textiles) across three silkworm rearing centers in Vietnam, supported by government collaboration providing access to facilities, technical personnel, and mulberry fields. Key products include Monster Silk (the company's flagship recombinant spider silk brand), the BAM-1 Alpha production hybrid strain with 22% improved hybrid vigor, Project Atlas next-generation biomaterials program, and the newly announced immortalized silk gland cell platform for continuous recombinant protein production via natural exocytosis.

The company monetizes through B2B sales of spider silk fibers and fabrics, with potential licensing of proprietary transgenic silkworm technology to defense, medical, and textile partners. Its commercial customer engagement centers on enterprise performance sports apparel brands, luxury textile companies, and the U.S. Army (which contracted ballistic shoot packs in 2021). As of late 2025/2026, three undisclosed major brand-name companies (two sports apparel brands and one luxury textile company) are receiving initial sample shipments and preparing for first commercial deliveries, with a confidential pilot program for a globally recognized performance sports brand targeted before end of Q1 2026. The go-to-market motion is direct enterprise sales with CEO-led on-site operational reviews in Southeast Asia and customized material specifications per customer.

Production scale has rapidly accelerated, from 700,000 deployed BAM-1 Alpha hybrids in 2025 to over 1.3 metric tons in a single month in April 2026 (a 5x increase), approximately 1.8 metric tons in March 2026, and a record-setting nearly 2.5 metric tons in a single June 2026 production cycle. The company's stated commercial-scale target is 10 metric tons of recombinant spider silk cocoons per month. Capital has been raised primarily through Yorkville Advisors via an $8M debt-to-equity conversion (November 2022), a $1.5M investment (April 2022), and a $10M standby equity purchase agreement (January 2025). The synthetic spider silk market is projected to grow from USD 2.58 billion to USD 11.65 billion by 2035 at a 16.24% CAGR, representing the company's primary TAM.

Name

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories

Legal name

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc.

Website

https://kraiglabs.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories is a publicly traded biotechnology company that develops and produces recombinant spider silk fibers using genetically engineered silkworms, serving enterprise customers in performance apparel, luxury fashion, and defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recombinant Spider Silk Fibers

NAICS

Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522), Knit Fabric Mills (31324)

SIC

Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Man-Made Fiber Manufacturing (Polyester/Nylon/Acrylic/Viscose) (IMAOAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bio-based Textiles & Fibers (lyocell/viscose, cellulose filament, nonwovens) (IMAMALAK), Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates) (IMAOABAH), Biobased, Compostable & Low-Impact Material Innovation (Bio-polymers/Dope Dyeing) (IMAOAMAM)

Keywords

• Recombinant spider silk
• Genetically engineered silkworms
• Biotechnology fiber production
• High-performance technical textiles
• Biodegradable performance materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Spider Silk Fiber and Fabric Sales: Revenue from selling recombinant spider silk fibers and fabrics to textile brands, performance apparel manufacturers, and luxury fashion companies. Initial commercial trial orders and first shipments initiated in Q4 2025 with ongoing customer engagement for wider adoption and longer-term production agreements.
2. Licensing Royalties: Potential licensing of proprietary transgenic silkworm technology and spider silk IP to partners in textiles, defense, and medical sectors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories develops and manufactures recombinant spider silk fibers using genetically engineered silkworms as a biological production platform. The company sells Monster Silk branded fibers, yarns, and fabrics to enterprise customers in performance apparel, luxury fashion, and defense, leveraging existing global silk infrastructure in Southeast Asia rather than fermentation-based alternatives. It also operates an emerging immortalized silk gland cell platform aimed at recombinant protein and biopharmaceutical applications.

Product overview

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories is a biotechnology company that has developed the world's first commercially scalable recombinant spider silk production platform. The company's core product is Monster Silk, a recombinant spider silk fiber produced through proprietary genetically engineered silkworms. The company operates its production through its subsidiary Prodigy Silk in Southeast Asia, utilizing advanced hybrid strains like BAM-1 Alpha that deliver superior silk yields. The technology portfolio includes the foundational transgenic silkworm platform for spider silk production and the newer Immortalized Silk Gland Cell Platform for broader recombinant protein applications. The company's R&D program Project Atlas focuses on developing next-generation biomaterials with enhanced properties for industrial and defense applications. Together, these offerings position the company as the leading developer of spider silk-based fiber technologies targeting markets across performance textiles, luxury fashion, defense, and medical sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Monster Silk: The company's brand name for its woven spider silk textile products, including Monster Silk Woven Textile shown in product photos.

Products and services

• Monster Silk Flagship recombinant spider silk brand produced through genetically engineered silkworms, combining scalability of traditional sericulture with superior strength, toughness, and elasticity properties for technical textiles, performance apparel, and luxury fashion.
• BAM-1 Alpha Hybrid Silkworms Advanced production hybrid silkworm strain for recombinant spider silk manufacturing, producing larger cocoons and higher silk yields while maintaining recombinant spider silk properties, designed for industrial-scale manufacturing efficiency.
• Immortalized Silk Gland Cell Platform Biotechnology platform using immortalized silkworm posterior silk gland cells that continuously produce and secrete recombinant proteins without cell destruction, enabling scalable, lower-cost recombinant protein manufacturing for biopharmaceutical and biomaterial applications.
• Recombinant Spider Silk Fiber and Fabric Sales Commercial offering of recombinant spider silk fibers, yarns, and fabrics sold directly to enterprise textile customers, with initial shipments and pilot programs underway with sports apparel brands, luxury textile companies, and defense contractors.
• Recombinant Spider Silk Fiber Technology (Transgenic Silkworm Platform) Proprietary biotechnology platform using genetically engineered silkworms to produce spider silk fibers naturally through biological spinning processes, leveraging established global sericulture infrastructure rather than fermentation-based systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tensile strength reaching 1.79 gigapascals with elasticity above 38% (BAM-1 platform)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Government Agency in Southeast AsiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 July 2025Multi-year collaboration agreement with a government agency in Southeast Asia providing access to government-supported rearing facilities, technical personnel, and infrastructure critical to accelerating production and expanding operational capacity. Kraig Labs gained access to government-owned mulberry gardens (usage rights granted) providing essential feedstock for silkworm rearing. The agreement also provides for collaboration on production growth and resource/facility/land access.
• University of Notre DamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborations with well-respected institutions such as the University of Notre Dame have accelerated and enabled breakthroughs in spider silk technologies. The partnership has been instrumental in developing the company's transgenic silkworm platform and advancing genetic engineering research.
• Dr. Nirmal Kumar (Sericulture Expert)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead sericulture expert providing specialized training to new production staff and overseeing build-out of expanded egg production center and testing lab. Expertise instrumental in transforming sericulture operations into a robust, scalable manufacturing system. On-site leadership at new production facilities.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Spiber: Japanese biotechnology company developing Brewed Protein spider silk via fermentation. Direct competitor in the recombinant spider silk market, pursuing similar apparel and luxury fashion customer segments through partnerships with brands like Goldwin, although using a fundamentally different (fermentation-based) production pathway.
• Bolt Threads: US-based biotechnology company producing lab-grown spider silk proteins via fermentation. Direct competitor targeting apparel and beauty markets with spider silk-inspired proteins (including prior collaborations with Stella McCartney and Patagonia), with similar enterprise sales motion into performance apparel and luxury brands.
• AMSilk: German biotech producing silk proteins via fermentation for cosmetics, medical devices, and textiles. Closely comparable as a spider silk protein supplier with similar B2B go-to-market into fashion and technical textile customers, though focused on protein ingredients rather than full fiber form.

Emerging players

• Modern Meadow: US-based biofabrication company using fermentation and protein engineering to produce sustainable leather and other materials. Comparable as a biotech-driven textile/materials company pursuing luxury and apparel markets with bioengineered protein products, though focused on leather rather than spider silk.
• Ecovative Design: US-based company using mycelium (fungal) biology to grow sustainable materials for packaging, textiles, and food. Adjacent biotech-materials company pursuing similar sustainability-driven textile and consumer applications, though using mycelium rather than engineered silk.
• Seevix Material Sciences: Israeli biotech producing recombinant spider silk via proprietary processes for medical, defense, and textile applications. Closely comparable as a smaller, earlier-stage recombinant spider silk player targeting similar end markets.
• Protein Evolution: US-based startup using AI and synthetic biology to design and produce engineered proteins and fibers, including spider silk-like materials. Comparable as an emerging player in AI-designed protein materials targeting textiles and industrial applications.
• Ananas Anam: Producer of Piñatex, a sustainable leather alternative made from pineapple leaf fiber. Comparable as a sustainable bio-based textile materials supplier targeting fashion and apparel brands, though using plant-based rather than biotech/protein-based fiber production.
• Natural Fiber Welding: US-based materials science company developing plant-based, high-performance fibers (including CLARUS and Mirum) for fashion and automotive markets. Comparable as an emerging sustainable fiber/materials company with similar enterprise sales motion into fashion brands.
• Tandem Repeat Technologies: US-based biotech company engineering recombinant spider silk proteins for technical and biomedical applications. Comparable as a smaller, earlier-stage spider silk biotech pursuing similar technical textile and biomedical end markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kraigbiocraftlaboratories2270
• Xx.com/icontact
• Facebookfacebook.com/icontact

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kraig Biocraft Laboratories