The cautionary tale of the blood-sucking unicorn

In a case that should serve as a warning to enthusiastic investors, startup blood-testing firm Theranos, once a darling of Silicon Valley, is facing a criminal investigation.

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Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos became the youngest ever female self-made billionaire

Lest anyone be in any doubt about the dangers of investing in some of the "disruptive" new industries emerging from the likes of Silicon Valley, the story of blood-testing "unicorn" (a startup company valued at more than $1bn), Theranos, should serve as ample warning.

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Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.