About HyphaLabs

The first research firm purpose-built for defense mycology

We engineer fungal mycelium into two material platforms that address the most pressing needs of the U.S. military and space agencies: self-healing synthetic flesh and lightweight structural composites.

Our thesis

The next generation of defense materials won't come from a factory. They'll be grown. Fungal mycelium forms dense, three-dimensional networks that rival Kevlar-grade polymers in tensile strength while weighing a fraction as much. These networks can be engineered to self-repair, absorb radiation, and conform to complex geometries — all at room temperature with minimal energy input.

No one has built a company dedicated to harnessing this biology exclusively for national security applications. That's the gap HyphaLabs fills.

Why now

Three converging forces make this the right moment:

Active government funding

DARPA, NASA, and Army DEVCOM have open programs specifically seeking bio-derived materials for defense and space applications. The money is allocated and waiting.

Synthetic biology maturity

Gene-editing tools (CRISPR) and automated biofoundries now allow precise tuning of mycelium properties — tensile strength, growth rate, environmental tolerance — at production-relevant scales.

Supply chain vulnerability

Current defense materials depend on petroleum-derived polymers and rare-earth metals with fragile international supply chains. Bio-grown materials can be manufactured domestically from agricultural waste.

Based in Seattle, WA

Positioned within the Pacific Northwest's biotech corridor, with proximity to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the University of Washington's mycology research program, and Boeing's aerospace manufacturing center.

2
Material Platforms
4+
Target Agencies
$5B+
Market by 2030
Leadership

The team behind the technology

Mike Mitchell
Mike Mitchell
Founder & CEO
mike@hyphalabs.org

Mike Mitchell is the founder and CEO of HyphaLabs LLC, a defense biotech research firm focused on engineering fungal mycelium into mission-critical materials for the U.S. military and space agencies.

His work sits at the intersection of materials science, synthetic biology, and government contracting — with a specific focus on closing the capability gap between biological R&D and DoD fielding requirements. HyphaLabs is structured around the SBIR/STTR pipeline, with active proposal development targeting DARPA, NASA, and Army DEVCOM programs seeking bio-derived material solutions.

Mitchell founded HyphaLabs with the conviction that the most important materials science breakthroughs of the next decade won't come from petroleum chemistry or rare-earth extraction — they'll be grown. The company is building the technical foundation to prove it, under government contract.

HyphaLabs LLC
Defense Biotech
SBIR / STTR Pipeline
Seattle, WA

Ready to explore a partnership?

Whether you're a program manager, prime contractor, or research institution — we'd welcome the conversation.

Get in Touch