And for good reason, considering former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is still making news. In the meantime, her partner, Billy Evans, is starting an exciting new entrepreneurial venture centered on blood testing. Holmes was convicted and sentenced in 2022 to 11 years in prison for defrauding investors. Although she is behind bars, her spirit and fearless commitment to affordable health care have not been dampened.
In a recent interview conducted from prison, Holmes repeated her claims to have focused on healthcare innovation. She stated, “I am completely committed to my dream of making affordable healthcare solutions available to everyone.” This commitment comes despite her conviction and the fallout from the Theranos scandal, which involved misleading claims about the company’s blood-testing technology.
Holmes has two children with Evans, who is currently helming a new venture called Haemanthus. The new startup’s ostensible goal is providing “human health optimization” thanks to a novel approach to blood testing. At the outset, Haemanthus intends to serve pets first, then open its doors to human customers.
Evans is apparently looking to raise upwards of $50 million to underwrite this new solution. His ambition reflects a continued belief in the potential of blood testing technology, despite the controversies surrounding his partner’s past endeavors.
Jim Breyer, a well-known investor, had publicly turned down investing in Theranos because he didn’t like what they were doing. Now, he’s sounding the same alarm bells about Evans’ new tech startup. This skepticism underscores the challenges that Haemanthus will need to navigate. The California-based company is working hard to earn trust in a space very much still feeling the effects of the Theranos drama.
Yet despite all of this, Evans is insistent that Haemanthus will live on. He’s got to be transformative in the health care space as well as make up for the divisive past of his significant other. Technological developments The startup’s success will hinge significantly on its technological developments. The organization must work to reassure investors and the public that it’s truly independent and should be trusted to act in good faith.
