Youngest Female Billionaire, 30, Revolutionizes Blood Tests

Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of college when she was 19; now, she's just 30. She's also the founder of a $9 billion company that's making medical treatment more accessible, and she's the youngest female billionaire in the US, reports Forbes. (She's the third-youngest billionaire overall.) Her company, Theranos, got its start when she dropped out of college in the belief that her tuition money could be used to make the world a better place, Elite Daily reports. Holmes focused on blood tests: "I have a big fear of needles. As do a lot of people. It's right up there with spiders and snakes," she told USA Today earlier this year.

Many people are so repulsed by the testing process that they risk not receiving essential health information, Elite Daily notes; Holmes offers an alternative. She developed a testing system that requires only a single finger prick rather than the collection of multiple vials of blood. Not only is it painless, it's cheaper than the typical test: the Daily Mail reports a $30 cost. One drop of blood is enough for 30 different tests, Theranos says, and the procedure can be conducted at a pharmacy, with results arriving within four hours. The company is now partnering with Walgreens, and Holmes is hoping to get Theranos tests available in every store in the US—all 8,200 of them. (Another young female billionaire is in charge of In-N-Out Burger.)