Who Is Elizabeth Holmes? 5 Things About the Convicted Entrepreneur – Hollywood Life

Elizabeth Holmes was once one of Silicon Valley’s most widely acclaimed innovators. She founded Theranos in 2003 and became a prominent figure for women in technology and science. Her company promised accurate blood test results from a finger prick using its Edison machine. In 2015, reporting by The Wall Street Journal exposed serious problems with Theranos’ technology, and a federal jury later found Holmes guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Holmes began serving her federal prison sentence at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas in May 2023. A judge reduced her original sentence of 11 years and three months by one year in March 2026, and she is scheduled to transfer to a Texas halfway house in August 2027. Her longtime partner, Billy Evans, told CBS Sunday Morning on Nov. 15 that he and their two children visit her every week. A24’s You Can See Everything, now playing in theaters, follows the couple in the weeks before Holmes reported to prison.

Below, Hollywood Life has rounded up five facts about Holmes, from her childhood to her career.

Elizabeth Holmes Was Born in Washington D.C.

Holmes was born in Washington D.C. She and her family eventually lived in Houston, Texas, where she attended high school. While she was still in high school, the then-teenage Holmes attended Stanford University’s Mandarin summer program before she eventually enrolled as an undergraduate student.

Elizabeth Holmes Founded Theranos at 19 Years Old

At just 19 years old, Holmes founded Theranos, which, at the time, was called Real-Time Cures. She was still at Stanford pursuing an undergraduate degree, where her professor, Dr. Phyllis Gardner, warned Holmes that her idea to provide diagnoses wouldn’t work with just a finger prick of blood.

Elizabeth Holmes Dropped Out of Stanford

After getting the support from several scholars, venture capitalists and politicians, including former Secretary of State George Shultz, Holmes dropped out of Stanford to focus on building Theranos.

Elizabeth Holmes Was the Youngest Female Self-Made Billionaire

After raising $400 million in venture capital, Theranos was eventually worth $9 billion at the height of its fame. Holmes’ company even partnered with Walgreens to introduce in-store blood collection centers. Since she succeeded in acquiring enough capital for the company, Holmes was recognized by Forbes as the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire. That, of course, changed once Holmes was convicted and ordered to pay more than $400 million in restitution to victims along with her ex-boyfriend Sunni Balwani.

Elizabeth Holmes’ Voice Became a Global Topic

During Holmes’ meteoric rise to fame, her former baritone voice struck a chord among fans and critics alike. Many pointed out that she didn’t sound like this before her time in the spotlight.