
Elizabeth Holmes
The disgraced founder of Theranos, used as an example of the psychological burden of living up to genius expectations.
First Mentioned
10/18/2026, 3:14:58 AM
Last Updated
10/18/2026, 3:41:00 AM
Research Retrieved
10/18/2026, 3:18:18 AM
Summary
Elizabeth Holmes, born February 3, 1984, is an American businesswoman convicted of fraud related to her former health technology company, Theranos. She founded Theranos in 2003, and the company's valuation surged in the early 2010s with claims of revolutionizing blood testing using minimal blood samples. In 2015, Forbes recognized Holmes as the youngest self-made female billionaire, valuing Theranos at $9 billion. However, by the following year, as fraud accusations surfaced, Forbes revised her net worth to zero. Investigations in 2015 revealed doubts about Theranos's claims and Holmes's honesty with investors and the government. In 2018, the SEC charged Theranos, Holmes, and COO Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with defrauding investors of $700 million through false claims about their blood-testing technology. Holmes settled these charges with a $500,000 fine, returning shares, relinquishing voting control, and accepting a ten-year ban from public company leadership. Holmes and Balwani, who were in a clandestine romantic relationship, jointly managed Theranos, fostering a corporate culture of secrecy and fear, where employees raising concerns were often marginalized or fired. Following Theranos's collapse, Holmes began a relationship with hotel heir Billy Evans, with whom she has two children. In June 2018, Holmes and Balwani were indicted on fraud charges. Her trial concluded in January 2022 with a conviction for defrauding investors, though she was acquitted of defrauding patients. Holmes was sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison, beginning May 30, 2023, and she and Balwani were ordered to pay $452 million in restitution. Theranos's credibility was partly due to Holmes's connections, which attracted support from influential figures like Henry Kissinger and George Shultz. Billy Evans, Holmes's husband, has stated that she was unable to publicly defend herself due to a judicial gag order and that her conviction was for financial fraud involving investors, not patient fraud. Evans is currently launching his own deep-tech startup, Hemanthes, focusing on hardware and data for AI, distinct from diagnostic labs and avoiding corporate deal pitfalls like Theranos's contract with Walgreens.
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View on WikipediaElizabeth Holmes
Elizabeth Anne Holmes (born February 3, 1984) is an American businesswoman convicted of fraud in connection with her health technology company Theranos. Holmes founded Theranos in 2003, and its valuation soared in the early 2010s after it claimed to have revolutionized blood testing by developing methods that needed only very small volumes of blood, such as from a fingerprick. In 2015, Forbes named Holmes the youngest and wealthiest self-made female billionaire in the United States on the basis of a $9-billion valuation of Theranos. In the following year, as accusations of fraud about Theranos's claims began to surface, Forbes revised its estimate of Holmes's net worth to zero, and Fortune named her in its feature article on "The World's 19 Most Disappointing Leaders". The decline of Theranos began in 2015, when a series of journalistic and regulatory investigations revealed doubts about the company's claims and whether Holmes had been truthful with investors and the government. In 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Theranos, Holmes, and former Theranos chief operating officer (COO) Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with raising $700 million from investors through a fraud involving false or exaggerated claims about the accuracy of the company's blood-testing technology; Holmes settled the charges by paying a $500,000 no admit no deny (NAND) fine, returning 18.9 million shares to the company, relinquishing her voting control of Theranos, and accepting a ten-year ban from serving as an officer or director of a public company. Holmes was in a clandestine romantic relationship with Balwani throughout most of Theranos's history. Holmes and Balwani jointly ran the company with a "dysfunctional corporate culture" of "secrecy and fear" according to employees. Staff also claimed that those who "raised concerns or objections" were "usually marginalized or fired" by the pair. Following the collapse of Theranos, Holmes started dating hotel heir William "Billy" Evans, with whom she has had two children (born in 2021 and 2023). In June 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Holmes and Balwani on fraud charges. Her trial in the case of U.S. v. Holmes, et al. ended in January 2022 when Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors and acquitted of defrauding patients. She was sentenced to serve 11+1⁄4 years at Federal Prison Camp, Bryan, beginning on May 30, 2023. She and Balwani were ordered to pay $452 million in restitution to the victims of the fraud. The credibility of Theranos was attributed in part to Holmes's personal connections and ability to recruit the support of influential people, including Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Jim Mattis, and Betsy DeVos, all of whom had served or went on to serve as U.S. presidential cabinet officials.
Web Search Results
- Elizabeth Holmes | Biography, Net Worth, Theranos, & Scandal | Britannica Money
Courtesy of Theranos Elizabeth Holmes (born February 3, 1984, Washington, D.C.) is an American entrepreneur who was the founder and CEO (2003–18) of the blood-testing company Theranos Inc. In 2014—at age 30—she was dubbed the world's youngest self-made female billionaire, but, less than a year later, it was her own blood that authorities were after, as the nature of her corporate malfeasance became clear. ## Elizabeth Holmes: What to know [...] ## Elizabeth Holmes: What to know In full: Elizabeth Anne Holmes Born: February 3, 1984, Washington, D.C. Education: Attended Stanford University; left during her sophomore year Known for: Founding and leading Theranos and the fraud scandal that led to its collapse Convicted: Four federal fraud counts involving Theranos investors in 2022 Prison sentence: 10 years, three months; reduced from 11 years, three months in 2026 Current status: Incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Bryan, Texas Projected release: February 22, 2030 Spouse: Billy Evans Children: Two [...] ### How long is Elizabeth Holmes's prison sentence? Elizabeth Holmes is serving a 10-year, three-month federal prison sentence for defrauding Theranos investors. She was originally sentenced in 2022 to 11 years and three months, but a federal judge reduced the sentence in March 2026 under a retroactive change to federal sentencing guidelines. The Federal Bureau of Prisons lists her projected release date as February 22, 2030. USA Facts Britannica Quiz USA Facts Elizabeth Holmes holding a small vial of blood between her fingers. Open full sized image Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes claimed that her company could perform hundreds of diagnostic tests using just a few drops of blood. Courtesy of Theranos
- Amazon.com: The unauthorized biography of Elizabeth holmes : Everything about Elizabeth Holmes eBook : L. Diaz, Burton : Kindle Store
The youngest self-made billionaire in the world is an American finance manager named Elizabeth Anne Holmes. She is the CEO and author of the blood-testing company Theranos. Holmes founded Theranos at the age of 19 to create less expensive symptomatic tests that just require a few drops of blood from a finger prick. Since then, the group has developed blood tests that, based on a drop or two of blood collected from a finger prick, may discriminate between a variety of conditions, from sickness to increased cholesterol. She was motivated to pursue medicine as a career by her great-great grandfather, but she soon discovered that she was afraid of needles. Given that her mother and grandmother trembled at the sight of needles and blood, Holmes got this phobia from them. She stated that one of
- Elizabeth Holmes: Biography, Theranos Founder, Entrepreneur
## Who Is Elizabeth Holmes? Elizabeth Holmes is the founder and former CEO of Theranos, a failed Silicon Valley–based health technology startup that marketed cheaper, non-invasive blood testing. After seeing the valuation of the company soar to more than $9 billion, a series of reports emerged that Holmes’ technology was faulty and that many of the 7.5 million tests it ran might have been inaccurate. In June 2018, Holmes and ex-Theranos Chief Operating Officer Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani were indicted on 11 federal charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Holmes was found guilty on four counts in January 2022. She is now serving an 11-year prison sentence. ## Quick Facts [...] ## Quick Facts FULL NAME: Elizabeth Anne Holmes BORN: February 3, 1984 BIRTHPLACE: Washington, D.C. SPOUSE: Billy Evans (2019-present) CHILDREN: William and Invicta ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius ## Early Life and Education Born on February 3, 1984, in Washington, Elizabeth Anne Holmes is the daughter of Noel, a former Capitol Hill committee staffer, and Christian, who worked for a series of governmental agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The family moved from Washington to Houston when Holmes was young. [...] Skip to Content 1. Famous Business Leaders 2. Con Artists 3. Elizabeth Holmes # Elizabeth Holmes Elizabeth Holmes founded the now-defunct health technology company Theranos and is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for her fraud conviction. By Biography.com Editors, Adrienne Donica Getty Images We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. > 1984-present Who Is Elizabeth Holmes? Quick Facts Early Life and Education Founding Theranos Net Worth The Unraveling of Theranos Criminal Charges, Trial, and Sentence Relationship with Sunny Balwani Husband and Children Media Portrayals Quotes ## Who Is Elizabeth Holmes?
- Elizabeth Holmes - Wikipedia
| Elizabeth Holmes | | Holmes in 2014 | | Born | Elizabeth Anne Holmes (1984-02-03) February 3, 1984 (age 42) Washington, D.C., U.S. | | Education | Stanford University (dropped out) | | Years active | 2003–2018 | | Known for | Founder and CEO of Theranos Criminal fraud | | Children | 2 | | Status | Incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp, Bryan (reported May 30, 2023 (2023-05-30)); Register Number: 24965-111 | | Convictions | Wire fraud (3 counts) Conspiracy to commit wire fraud (1 count) | | Penalty | 11+1⁄4 years in prison | | Accomplice | Sunny Balwani | | | [...] 71. 1 2 Johnson, Carolyn Y. (June 15, 2018). "Elizabeth Holmes, founder of blood-testing company Theranos, indicted on wire fraud charges". The Washington Post. ISSN "ISSN (identifier)") 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2018-06-16. 72. 1 2 "Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes steps down as CEO". Reuters. June 15, 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2018-06-16. 73. ↑ Solon, Olivia (June 15, 2018). "Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes charged with criminal fraud". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2018-06-17. Retrieved 2021-12-25. 74. ↑ "Theranos Founder and Former Chief Operating Officer Charged In Alleged Wire Fraud Schemes". U.S. Department of Justice. June 15, 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-12-25. [...] Main article: United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes, et al. In June 2018, after a two-year-long investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, a federal grand jury indicted Holmes and Balwani on nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Both pleaded not guilty. The prosecution alleged that Holmes and Balwani had engaged in two criminal schemes: one to defraud investors, and a second to defraud doctors and patients. After the indictment was issued, Holmes resigned as CEO of Theranos but remained chairwoman of its board of directors.
- Elizabeth Holmes: Theranos Founder Bio | PDF | Medicine | Health Sciences
Scribd # Elizabeth Holmes: Theranos Founder Bio Elizabeth Anne Holmes is an American entrepreneur who founded Theranos in 2003 at age 19. She dropped out of Stanford University to pursue Theranos full-time, aiming to develop new methods for blood testing using small volumes. Under her leadership as CEO, Theranos grew to be valued at $9 billion with 500 employees by 2014. Holmes holds over 100 patents and is the youngest self-made female billionaire with a net worth of $4.5 billion. # Elizabeth Holmes: Theranos Founder Bio Elizabeth Holmes: Theranos Founder Bio AI-enhanced title and description ## Uploaded by ## Share this document ## Footer menu ## About ## Support ## Legal ## Social ## Get our free apps Scribd - Download on the App Store Scribd - Get it on Google Play
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2/3/1984Place Of Birth
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Mabel G. Holmes School No. 5 Annex Building, 720, Clarkson Avenue, Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey, 07202, United States
Coordinates: 40.6446157, -74.2145503
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