Bad Blood

01Elizabeth Holmes was a competitive kid who grew up to be a scandalous CEO

Elizabeth Holmes, the protagonist of our tale, was a force to be reckoned with from the get-go. As a kid, she was already dreaming big, sketching out plans for a time machine at just seven years old. This early show of ambition was a sign of things to come. Holmes wasn't just a dreamer, though. She had the brains to back it up. She aced her way through high school, earning her a spot at Stanford University as a President’s Scholar in 2002. This scholarship is no small feat, given only to a select few who show extraordinary academic talent. It was clear Holmes was no ordinary student. At Stanford, Holmes was always on the lookout for opportunities to fuel her ambitions. She landed a spot in the research lab of Channing Robertson, a big shot in Stanford’s chemical engineering department. This stint gave her a wealth of knowledge and insights that would later prove invaluable in her entrepreneurial journey. Holmes' ambition was so strong that she left Stanford after a summer internship at the Genome Institute of Singapore. There, she was involved in testing patient samples using traditional methods like syringe and nasal swabs. This experience sparked an idea in Holmes - a vision for a more efficient and innovative approach to medical testing. With this vision in mind, Holmes penned a patent application for an arm patch that could diagnose and treat medical conditions at the same time. She was sure that her time in Robertson’s lab and her internship had given her the know-how to turn this vision into reality. To help her in this venture, she brought on board Shaunak Roy, a PhD student from Robertson’s lab, as her first employee when she started her company. Holmes' company began in Burlingame, California, but later relocated to an industrial area in Menlo Park. She tapped into her family connections to get the initial funding for her venture, persuading Tim Draper, a former neighbor, to invest $1 million in her company. By the end of 2004, Holmes had managed to raise $6 million from investors. The company had expanded to include 23 more staff and had launched their first prototype, Theranos 1.0. They even got a shout-out from the tech magazine Red Herring as the hottest start-up in the valley. But, as they say, what goes up must come down. Despite the initial success, the company eventually ran into a slew of problems and controversies, leading to its downfall. This story serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of leadership and the importance of honesty in business. In a nutshell, Elizabeth Holmes' competitive spirit from childhood played a big part in her entrepreneurial journey. Her ambition, drive, and smarts led her to establish a promising start-up. However, the eventual downfall of her company serves as a harsh lesson on the importance of ethical leadership and honesty in business.