She is the CEO of Theranos, a blood test company, which she founded in 2003 at age 19 while she was a chemical engineering major at Stanford University. The company was originally based on her invention and patent for a way to run 30 common lab tests,[4] on blood obtained via a fingerstick,[5] using microfluidics or "lab-on-a-chip" technology - a much faster and cheaper method than traditional lab testing techniques.[6] By 2014, the company offered 200 tests, was licensed to operate in every state in the US,[7] and was valued at nearly $10 billion.[8] Theranos has entered into a partnership with drugstore chain Walgreens to build thousands of Wellness Centers (beginning with California and Arizona)[9] offering a full menu of blood tests directly to consumers at a charge that is generally one-quarter to one-tenth of what others charge.[10]
As of 2014, Holmes had 18 US patents and 66 non-US patents in her name and is listed as a co-inventor on over a hundred patent applications.[7] She is the youngest self-made female billionaire on the 2014 Forbes 400 list, with an estimated net worth of $4.6 billion.[2]
Holmes doesn't own a TV and states she works every day from the time she wakes up until she goes to sleep. She says that "What matters is how well we do in trying to make people's lives better. That's why I'm doing this. That's why I work the way that I work. And that's why I love what I'm doing so much." [8] Henry A. Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State and a Theranos board member, described Elizabeth Holmes as a "tech visionary...striking, somewhat ethereal, [and] iron-willed" who "combines fierce and single-minded dedication with great charm..." and is "dedicated to transforming health care around the world" .