Elizabeth Holmes, 41, is presently in jail for defrauding investors by way of her notorious blood-testing startup Theranos.
Now, her accomplice and the daddy of her two youngsters, Billy Evans, has based a blood-testing startup—however the firm insists it is not Theranos 2.0.
The New York Times stories that Evans, 33, is engaged on a brand new firm referred to as Haemanthus, Greek for “blood flower,” which focuses on detecting illnesses by way of small samples of blood, urine, and saliva. In accordance with investor supplies considered by The Instances, Evans has raised $3.5 million for the startup from family and friends and is reaching out to traders in Austin and San Francisco for a further $15 million in funding this spring.
Haemanthus was integrated in February 2024 and is targeted on animal checks and pet well being care earlier than increasing to people.
Earlier this month, the startup obtained its first patent for a small, box-like machine that makes use of lasers to course of blood, saliva, or urine samples. In accordance with advertising supplies, the machine can establish cancers, infections, and diseases to make diagnoses with laser expertise. Haemanthus’ advertising supplies define its long-term aim of ultimately growing a small, wearable model of the machine for people.
Elizabeth Holmes and Billy Evans. Picture by Philip Pacheco/Getty Pictures
Holmes’ firm, Theranos, additionally tried to diagnose illnesses from a small pattern of blood utilizing a box-like machine, the Edison. The corporate, which Holmes based in 2003, had a $9 billion valuation by 2015 however gained infamy after Wall Road Journal reporter John Carreyrou exposed that its expertise yielded inaccurate readings and trusted third-party expertise to carry out its checks.
The startup collapsed in September 2018, and in November 2022, Holmes was sentenced to 11 years and three months in jail after being discovered responsible of defrauding traders out of a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars}. She started serving her sentence in Might 2023.
Holmes met Evans in 2017, and the couple now has two youngsters.
Sources instructed NPR that although Holmes is imprisoned in a federal facility in Bryan, Texas, she has been giving Evans recommendation on Haemanthus.
The startup denies the claims. Haemanthus turned to X over the weekend to make clear that “this isn’t Theranos 2.0” and that Holmes has “zero involvement” within the firm.
“We have discovered from her firm’s errors, however she has no function, now or future,” the startup wrote in an X thread on Sunday.
The startup says it takes a “basically totally different” strategy from Theranos by utilizing lasers to course of blood and different fluids.
“Theranos tried to miniaturize present checks,” Haemanthus wrote on X. “Our strategy is basically totally different. We use gentle to learn the whole molecular story in organic fluids, seeing patterns present checks cannot detect.”
3/ Setting the document straight. Elizabeth Holmes has zero involvement in Haemanthus. We have discovered from her firm’s errors, however she has no function, now or future. NYT & @NPR implied in any other case. We have stayed quiet to construct actual tech, not conceal. Demonstrating, not promising.
— haemanthus (@haemanthusinc) May 11, 2025
Haemanthus has about 10 staff beneath Evans, The New York Instances stories.
Holmes is predicted to be launched from jail on August 16, 2032.
