> But if the Theranos deal panned out, who would have benefited from the investment by the hedgefund?
A hedge fund is an investment fund that pools money from investors and then invests it according to the hedge fund's strategy. So, the primary people who will benefit or lose are the people who invested their money with the hedge fund. Hedge funds also tend to take a percentage of profits as part of their compensation.
I don't see what connection there is to the notion that the system is rigged. No one is obligated to invest in hedge funds and the people who do are aware of the hedge fund's compensation structure. Anyone who invests money is aware that investments have risk and can fail. The purpose of a hedge fund is to invest money to generate (better-than-market) returns, and so the hedge fund will be compensated if that happens. The fact that they're compensated from profits acts as an incentive for them to actually generate profits.
Would it be the "little guy?" Or would it be the fund managers, and all the "insiders."
It goes hand and hand with the notion that the system is rigged.