The case of Elizabeth Holmes’ notorious startup Theranos provides important lessons about the intersection of social class and entrepreneurship.
After reading the various magazine articles about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, and listening to The Dropout (if you have sufficient time), I want you to consider how Holmes’ background, education, and contacts might have facilitated her initial success and maintained her support despite evidence that the project she was pursuing was clearly a house of cards. Specifically, in a 750 word essay,
1. address how Holmes’ status, class, and social capital were central her early entrepreneurial success;
2. reflect on whether and how social class matters for entrepreneurship;
3. consider if the capacities to fail and innovate innovation are equally distributed across social classes.
