The woman who dropped out of university at 19 and is now worth £5.9bn

How is Elizabeth Holmes living the American Dream?

At 19 she dropped out of Stanford University School of Engineering to start Theranos, a biotech company. Now 31, her company - which plans to revolutionise venipuncture by offering 200 blood tests through just the prick of a finger - is worth $9bn (£5.9bn).

What's her secret?

Well she always wear a black turtleneck, just like Steve Jobs...�

The Apple of everyone's eye, perhaps...

Forbes named her the world's first self-made billionaire and president Barack Obama made her a US ambassador for global business. She was brought on the board of fellows of Harvard Medical School, she was in Time's list of the year's 100 most-influential people and the New York Times magazine said she may be changing "the health-care paradigm as we know it".

Too good to be true?

The Wall Street Journal revealed last month that of the 200 tests which the company boasts, only the herpes test used microsample technology.

What happens now?

If Theranos is ripped to shreds for exaggerating its claims, Ms Holmes can try her hand in another tech field or admit the company was overambitious. Maybe we should cancel the bulk order of black polo-necks.

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