Erika Cheung

Theranos was the darling of Silicon Valley. The company boasted a revolutionary blood diagnostic and vision for the future of healthcare that many wanted to believe in. Theranos managed to get buy-in from the most well known politicians and American elite, however things weren’t quite what they seemed. In a swift series of events, the company became one of the most highly reported business scandals in American history. Could this outcome have been prevented? Could it have been predicted? In this talk and discussion, we will discuss some of the timeless warning signs of an organizational ethical collapse to prepare founders, investors and employees for their own journey into entrepreneurship.

In 2014, Erika Cheung made a discovery that would ultimately help bring down her employer, Theranos , as well as its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, who claimed to have invented technology that would transform medicine. The decision to become a whistleblower proved a hard lesson in figuring out how to do what’s right in the face of both personal and professional obstacles.

With candor and humility, Cheung shares her journey of speaking truth to power and offers a framework to encourage others to come forward and act in the service of all.

Following her pivotal role as the whistleblower that exposed Theranos, Erika embarked on a transformative journey. She founded “Ethics in Entrepreneurship” (EIE), a pioneering organization committed to cultivating an ethical culture within the technology industry. EIE serves as the essential bridge connecting tools, resources, and experts, enabling businesses to seamlessly integrate ethics into their core operations. Erika’s inspiring story highlights the paramount importance of ethical entrepreneurship and the profound impact it can have on business culture and society.