(Theranos) Sunny Balwani: Elizabeth Holmes' former partner goes on trial

Source: BBC

Sunny Balwani: Elizabeth Holmes' former partner goes on trial

By James Clayton & Jasmin Dyer
BBC News

18 March 2022

When Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of college at 19 to found her company, Theranos, she needed someone with more experience. Based on an idea that hundreds of diseases could be diagnosed with just a few drops of blood, her venture had begun to attract interest, and investment.

So as the company grew, Holmes, still in her mid-20s, brought in a man that she already knew. Ramesh 'Sunny' Balwani was someone who understood how to run a successful start-up.

She'd reportedly first met him during a college trip to Beijing when she was 18. He was a 37-year-old South Asian immigrant who had made millions selling his software company before the dot-com bubble burst. Around the same time he met Holmes, he divorced his wife, a Japanese artist. And at some point, the relationship became a romantic one.

While Holmes was the face of the company, Mr Balwani was the businessman serving as the president and chief operating officer.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60716448


Balwani was considered the "enforcer" at Theranos and oversaw day to day operations (Getty Images)