How a broken blood test raised nine billion on pure story
Anyone funding or boarding a startup should see how a non-working finger-prick device rode charisma and legal threats to a nine-billion-dollar valuation.
Culture · 1 source · Oct 15, 2026Read it
The journal
Open the journal →The conversation starts in the journal — be the first to post.
About Theranos
Theranos Inc. was an American privately held corporation that was touted as a breakthrough health technology company. Founded in 2003 by then–19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos raised more than US$700 million from venture capitalists and private investors, resulting in a $9 billion valuation at its peak in 2013 and 2014. The company falsely claimed that it had devised blood tests that could be performed rapidly and accurately, while requiring very small amounts of blood, all using compact automated devices that the company had developed.
Everything about Theranos →- Country
- United States
- Headquarters
- Palo Alto
- Inception
- 2003
- Website
- http://www.theranos.com