Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc (KBLB)

[GTman1]

Is this meant to justify comparing Spiber to KBLB?

Hi W2R, you are spot on.

It is quite obvious that the method to produce spider silk analogue using fermentation of yeast or bacteria (and definitely mammalian cells) is cost prohibitive.

Bolt Threads has almost entirely pivoted away from spider silk fibers and is almost exclusively promoting "their" mushroom leather. The mushroom leather is actually not a bad idea but I put "their" in quotes because the technology does not belong to them.

Bolt Threads signed a NON-exclusive license with a company named Ecovative to use their mushroom leather technology. This means that Ecovative can license this tech to anyone. Bolt has nothing proprietary with this leather.

Bolt Threads even had a legal battle with their Ecovative partners because they blamed Ecovative for not giving them clear enough instructions on how to make the leather themselves because their leather was turning out like crap. Here is a copy of the docket...

Bolt vs Ecovative

The reality is that Spider silk production using fermentation is unfeasible. And this is a process and technology that has been well known and established for a few decades. Bolt is learning this the hard way and pivoting. They've had hundreds of millions in investment, and still can't get commercial production off the ground. And needless to say, they are in silicon valley with access to some of the brightest minds in biotech. They are now scrambling to have some sort of viable company because I'm sure their investors are wondering how they'll ever recoup their money. Spiber investors are probably wondering the same thing right about now. If Bolt Threads couldn't make spider silk analogue fibers with their hundreds of millions in investment, I doubt any of the other fermentation companies have a shot.