[jonknee]

She had an inside track to a lot of investors (and big name board members) which helped her immensely. Add on a nice demo and it's not hard to imagine.

According to the WSJ she was childhood friends with Tim Draper's daughter and that's where she got her first round.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/at-theranos-many-strategies-and-...

> The first $1 million came from Tim Draper, a founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, through two of his funds. Ms. Holmes was a childhood friend of his daughter and came to him “with extraordinary energy and brilliance,” he says.

At that point you have a very bright founder who interviews well and is backed by Draper. Everyone else assumes everyone else did their research.