Theranos founder's fraud trial opens in Silicon Valley

Elizabeth Holmes leaves the United States Federal Courthouse in San Jose, California, her high profile trial finally starting years after the collapse of her company. — AP Photo

Fallen biotech star Elizabeth Holmes's fraud trial opened Wednesday in California, with prosecutors claiming she told grandiose lies to cheat investors in her once-billion-dollar company, as her defence said she simply made mistakes.

When she launched the diagnostics firm Theranos in 2003 at age 19, the charismatic Holmes promised results that were faster and cheaper than traditional laboratories, running an analytical gamut on just a few drops of blood.