ALWAYS WATCHFUL
Elizabeth Holmes is the founder of Theranos, a company that is dedicated to saving lives by inventing medical tests that are fast, convenient, and cheap. Theranos is definitely a disruptor to the medical testing industry as Kimberly Weisul reports(“The Longest Game” Inc. October 2015. pp. 48–51, 146–147):
“ Theranos, now valued at $10 billion, has developed blood tests that detect hundreds of conditions and diseases from a couple of drops of blood from the finger, instead of tubes of blood from a vein in the arm. . . . Holmes aims to enable anyone to get lab tests—for anything from cholesterol to cancer—on his or her own at a local pharmacy for no more than half of what Medicare would pay. Holmes believes that providing faster, more convenient, and less expensive access to lab tests will transform preventive medicine. ” (p. 50)
As powerful and as disruptive as Theranos is, as in all technical endeavors, alternative technologies can potentially take center stage. Research does not cease just because one entrepreneur is successful. Technologies, scientific understanding, new inventions, and unexpected developments are the norm as Weisul summarizes:
“ It’s certainly possible other needle-free avenues into testing—from lasers to biosensors—could leapfrog those of Theranos. ” (p. 147)
This is why the wise entrepreneur is the watchful entrepreneur.
