Elizabeth Holmes is an American former biotechnology entrepreneur and convicted fraudster. She is the founder and former CEO of Theranos, a now-defunct health technology company. It soared in valuation after the company claimed to have revolutionized blood testing by developing methods that could use surprisingly small volumes of blood, such as from a fingerprick. By 2015, Forbes had named Holmes the youngest and wealthiest self-made female billionaire in the United States on the basis of a $9-billion valuation of her company.

However, in 2015, The Wall Street Journal published a series of articles that raised questions about the accuracy of Theranos' technology. Theranos eventually admitted that its blood-testing technology was not ready for commercial use and was shut down in 2018.

In 2018, Holmes was charged with nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was found guilty on four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in January 2022. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and $10,000 in restitution. She is currently appealing her conviction.

Holmes' story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of hype and the importance of scientific rigor. It is also a reminder that even the most successful entrepreneurs are not immune to making mistakes.