BREAKING ANOTHER GLASS CEILING—ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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)
The inception and growth of Theranos is quite an exciting story. Even more exciting is Holmes’ enthusiasm for inspiring other young women to excel. She has a passionate recognition of the glass ceiling in entrepreneurship and how important it is to break it:
“ [Holmes has] been speaking to groups of girls, encouraging them to excel academically. ‘This is just one of those areas where a glass ceiling shouldn’t exist. . . . We change this for the next generation by our actions. . . . It was a long time after I started this company that I realized that there had not been a sole female founder-CEO of a multibillion-dollar health care or technology company. . . . I didn’t believe it. I still don’t believe it.’ ” (p. 147)
I commend Holmes for her passion and actions to help break any barriers to any person from fulfilling his or her fullest potential. When that does not happen, we all lose. I want to see people win!
