In what many are calling a strange case of history repeating itself, Billy Evans, the husband of the disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, has kicked off a new biotech startup called Haemanthus. This venture claims to revolutionize blood testing and diagnostic services, with promises that sound eerily similar to the infamous narrative of Theranos. Even though Holmes is currently serving time for fraud, there are whispers that she might be quietly advising Evans from the sidelines.
As doubts swirl around the startup’s legitimacy, technological feasibility, and ethical foundations, Haemanthus has sparked both curiosity and criticism from the public, investors, and medical professionals alike.
A New Venture with an Old Echo
According to a recent report from the New York Times, Haemanthus aims to shake up the medical diagnostics field by providing rapid test results using minimal bodily fluids—blood, urine, and saliva—thanks to laser-based technology. The startup has already secured nearly $20 million in funding, with aspirations to hit a $50 million goal in its early stages. Initially, the company plans to focus on pet diagnostics, a sector that’s less regulated than human healthcare but still quite profitable.
While Haemanthus presents itself as a cutting-edge tech company with unique innovations, critics and experts can’t help but notice how closely it resembles Theranos’ original promises—the very same promises that led to Holmes’ conviction and prison sentence after a lengthy saga that revealed significant flaws in Silicon Valley’s “fake it till you make it” culture.
The Holmes-Evans Connection
Billy Evans, an MIT graduate and heir to the Evans Hotel Group fortune, met Elizabeth Holmes in 2017, just as the media was extensively covering Theranos’ downfall. According to a feature in the Times of India, they got engaged in 2018 and later tied the knot. The couple now has two children and maintains a close bond, even with Holmes serving her 11-year sentence at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum-security facility for women.
