The People Who Invested in Theranos

Founder of failed blood-testing startup Theranos Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of fraud on January 3rd. She was convicted on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and will be sentenced on September 26.

After dropping out of Stanford at 19, Holmes started working on Theranos full-time. Once described as “the next Steve Jobs,” the young entrepreneur who was running a company built on deception and lies will now face the consequences of her actions.

Most of the money that she had raised came from private, accredited investors, whose individual worth exceeded $1 million. The Org has compiled a list of investors who were duped millions of dollars through their investments in Theranos.

Tim Draper

One of the first investors in Theranos was Tim Draper, a long-time neighbor of Holmes and billionaire venture capitalist with an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion. After Holmes dropped out of Stanford, Draper wrote her a $1 million check. Even after the conviction, Draper continues to stand behind Holmes.

Larry Ellison

The former CEO and co-founder of computer software giant Oracle was another early investor in Holmes' now-defunct biotech company. Ellison was introduced to Theranos through the prominent Silicon Valley investor Don Lucas. It is not disclosed how much exactly Ellison contributed to Theranos's early fundraising rounds.

The Walton family

America’s wealthiest family is the Walton family, whose wealth is derived from Walmart, the world’s largest retailer by sales. The Waltons invested $150 million in Theranos. It is estimated that the combined wealth of the family members is estimated to be around $175 billion.

Rupert Murdoch

Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch and owner of Fox News, Fox Sports, the Fox Network, The Wall Street Journal and HarperCollins invested an estimated $125 million in Theranos. Murdoch has a net worth of around $22.3 billion. It has been revealed that Holmes had approached Murdoch to quash the Wall Street Journal’s reporting on Theranos.

The DeVos family

The former United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s family was duped of $100 million by Theranos. The DeVos family had earned their wealth through multi-level marketing company Amway and is estimated to have a net worth of around $5.4 billion.

Cox Enterprises

The family that owns media and automobile company Cox Enterprises is said to have invested $100 million in Theranos. The family has a net worth of $34.5 billion and is ranked as the 8th most wealthy family in the United States.

Carlos Slim

Mexican business tycoon Carlos Slim was another investor who brought into the false promise of Theranos, investing roughly $30 million in the company. Slim is Mexico’s richest person and is estimated to be worth $83.5 billion.

Andreas Dracopoulos

Andreas Dracopoulost, the co-president of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, had personally invested $25 million in Theranos after his organization declined to invest. Dracopoulos is the nephew of the late Stavros Niarchos, a Greek shipping tycoon.

The Oppenheimer family

The Oppenheimer family, members of a South African diamond dynasty, invested an estimated $20 million in Theranos. The family is estimated to be worth $8 billion.

Riley Bechtel

Riley Bechtel of Bechtel, an engineering, procurement, construction and project management company, had invested $6 million in Theranos. The Bechtel family has an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion.

Chris Lucas

Chris Lucas is the founder and managing director of Black Diamond Ventures. The nephew of well-known venture capitalist Don Lucas, who was an early supporter of Theranos, Lucas had invested $5.4 million in the company.

Robert Kraft

Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, invested $1 million in Theranos. The Chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group is currently worth $8.3 billion.

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