# Fred Turner

> Fred Turner is the founder and CEO of Curative, a health-insurance company built on the radical premise of no copays, no deductibles, and no cost-sharing for in-network care. A British biochemist who dropped out of Oxford, he won the UK's Young Engineer of the Year at 17 for building a PCR machine to study his brother's red hair, founded cattle-genetics and diagnostics startups, then pivoted Curative into one of the largest COVID-19 testing providers in the United States before reinventing it as a health plan. He says his goal is to put his own company out of business by keeping members healthy.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Curative
- **Organizations:** Curative, Shield Bio, TL Biolabs
- **From:** West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Secondary education, Crossley Heath School, Biochemistry (dropped out), University of Oxford, Startup accelerator, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Founder and CEO of Curative, a health-insurance company with no copays or deductibles for in-network care, Built one of the largest COVID-19 testing operations in the United States, Won the UK's Young Engineer of the Year Award at age 17

## Career timeline

- **~2011** — At age 17, won the UK's Young Engineer of the Year Award for building a PCR device to find the gene behind his brother's red hair
- **2013** — Ranked #1 in the European Union Contest for Young Scientists; named to the Science Council's top 100 practicing scientists in the UK
- **2010s** — Left University of Oxford and moved to San Francisco to found TL Biolabs, making genetic tests for cattle herds (backed by the Thiel Foundation)
- **2010s** — Pivoted TL Biolabs into Shield Bio, focused on diagnostics for gonorrhea and sepsis; backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator; reached 10,000+ patients
- **2017** — Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Science
- **2020** — Founded Curative; pivoted within weeks into mass COVID-19 testing with a self-collected oral fluid swab, becoming one of the largest US testing providers
- **2022** — Pivoted Curative into a health-insurance company offering plans with no copays, no deductibles, and no cost-sharing for in-network care
- **2025** — Curative reported a 98% member engagement rate; raised a $150M Series B, headquartered in Austin, Texas

## Achievements

- Founder and CEO of Curative, a health-insurance company with no copays or deductibles for in-network care
- Built one of the largest COVID-19 testing operations in the United States
- Won the UK's Young Engineer of the Year Award at age 17
- Ranked #1 in the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (2013)
- Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science (2017)
- Named to the Science Council's top 100 practicing scientists in the UK (2013)
- Raised roughly $158M in total funding across his ventures, including a $150M Series B for Curative

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Curative's most recent reported raise; company headquartered in Austin with roughly 1,100 employees and a Series B funding stage.

## Links

- Website: https://curative.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-turner
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/fredturnerbio
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfJSeoh1t-o

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/fred-turner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-12