Elizabeth Holmes' Partner Launches New Blood-Testing Startup
Billy Evans, partner of convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, is reportedly developing a new blood-testing startup called Haemanthus. According to The New York Times, the company aims to use lasers to analyze blood, saliva, and urine samples to detect cancer and infections.
Haemanthus plans to initially focus on pet health before expanding to human diagnostics. The company is currently seeking to raise over $50 million in funding.
Echoes of Theranos
This new venture evokes comparisons to Theranos, the disgraced blood-testing company founded by Holmes. Theranos promised revolutionary blood tests using only small samples, but the technology ultimately proved flawed. Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison for defrauding investors.
Despite her conviction, Holmes maintains her commitment to healthcare innovation. In a recent interview, she stated she remains "completely committed to my dream of making affordable healthcare solutions available to everyone."
Investor Skepticism
Early Facebook investor Jim Breyer told The New York Times that his team declined to invest in Haemanthus, citing similar concerns to those they had with Theranos.
“We were asked to invest but declined for many of the same reasons we passed twice on Theranos.” - Jim Breyer
The similarities between Haemanthus and Theranos have raised eyebrows among investors and industry experts, leading to skepticism about the viability and ethical implications of this new venture.
