What investors learned from the Elizabeth Holmes trial: ‘zero’

While the guilty verdict for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes may not change how venture capital fundraising works, it may have an impact on other women founders, say industry players. — AFP

It took a jury seven full days to conclude that Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes was guilty of four counts of fraud after a three-month trial. The startup world had been watching in suspense, but it was largely for the spectacle of it all – not because anyone thought the verdict would significantly change behaviour in venture capital fundraising.

Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors in the blood-testing startup of hundreds of millions of dollars, which should spur investors to scrutinise their portfolio companies more carefully, especially in the specialised world of healthcare.