Numerous high-profile families invested millions of dollars into the troubled blood-testing startup Theranos, according to documents unsealed in an ongoing lawsuit against the company and obtained by The Wall Street Journal.
Theranos, which launched in 2003 and was once valued at $9 billion, had promised to revolutionize blood testing through a device that offered quicker results with a single drop of blood. In 2015, The Wall Street Journal published an exposé on the startup, allegeding Theranos' devices were flawed and inaccurate.
Theranos' largest individual investor was media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who poured $125 million into the startup. However, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal he sold back his shares for $1 in 2017.
Here are five of Theranos' top investors, according to Vanity Fair.
1. The family of Walmart founder Sam Walton: $150 million
2. The family of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: $100 million
3. Atlanta's billionaire Cox family: $100 million
4. Riley Bechtel, former chairman of construction company Bechtel Corp.: $6.2 million
5. Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots: $1 million
Greg McNeilly, COO of Windquest Group, Ms. DeVos and her husband’s family holding company, told The Wall Street Journal "the investment was made by many members of the DeVos family … to say they’re highly disappointed in Theranos as a company and an investment is an understatement."
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