SERENA WILLIAMS
Tennis legend, venture capitalist, founder of Serena Ventures
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles and then decided that was not competitive enough — so she launched a venture capital firm. Serena Ventures has invested in over 70 companies, mostly led by women and people of color, and her portfolio includes pre-IPO stakes in companies like MasterClass, Impossible Foods, and Noom. The greatest athlete of her generation turns out to be a pretty great investor too.
Net Worth
$300 Million
Nationality
American
Time Horizon
Long-Term
Risk Appetite
7 / 10
Net Worth Context
- · 300x the average American's lifetime earnings, stacked and waiting.
CAREER & BACKGROUND
Serena Williams is considered the greatest female tennis player in history — 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 73 career singles titles, four Olympic gold medals. She earned over $95 million in prize money alone, more than any other female athlete.
After retiring from tennis in 2022, Williams has focused full-time on Serena Ventures, the VC firm she founded in 2014. The firm has invested in over 70 companies with a focus on diverse founders — over 75% of portfolio companies are led by women or people of color.
Notable investments include MasterClass, Impossible Foods, Noom, Tonal, Daily Harvest, and Bumble. She also co-owns the Miami Dolphins (minority stake) and Angel City FC (NWSL).
COMPANIES & ROLES
Serena Ventures (founder, 70+ portfolio companies), S by Serena (fashion line), Angel City FC (co-owner, NWSL), Miami Dolphins (minority owner)
INVESTING STYLE & PHILOSOPHY
Williams invests primarily in consumer brands and health/wellness companies — areas where she has personal expertise and brand alignment. Serena Ventures focuses heavily on diverse founding teams, which Williams sees as both a moral imperative and an investment edge (underrepresented founders are underfunded, meaning less competition for deals).
She looks for products she personally uses or would use, similar to Kutcher's approach.
THE PLAYBOOK
Risk Approach
Moderate to high. Williams started investing her own tennis earnings, which gave her significant capital but also real skin in the game.
Early-stage venture is inherently risky, but Williams has diversified across 70+ companies and has enough personal wealth from tennis to absorb losses. The portfolio skews toward consumer companies with real revenue, not deep tech moonshots.
Money Habits
Williams earned over $95 million from tennis alone and has significant endorsement income from Nike, Gatorade, and others. She lives well — real estate in multiple states, fashion interests — but has transitioned from spending on luxury to investing in businesses.
She has said that building Serena Ventures gives her the same competitive drive that tennis did.
BIGGEST WIN
Building Serena Ventures into a legitimate institutional VC firm — not a celebrity vanity project. The portfolio has produced real returns, and Williams has earned respect in the VC community for her investment acumen, not just her fame.
The fund raised $111 million for its first institutional vehicle in 2022, proving LPs trust her as a fund manager.
BIGGEST MISTAKE
Williams has been open about early investments where she was too star-struck by the founder or product and did not do enough diligence. She has also acknowledged that some investments in her portfolio did not work out — the nature of early-stage venture.
FINANCIAL PHILOSOPHY
Invest in what you know and who is underestimated. Williams believes that the biggest inefficiency in venture capital is the systematic underfunding of women and minority founders.
She sees this as an alpha opportunity — great founders with great ideas who cannot get meetings with traditional VCs.
FAMILY & PERSONAL LIFE
Married to Alexis Ohanian (Reddit co-founder). Daughter Olympia Ohanian Jr.
Based in Florida. One of the most high-profile power couples in tech and sports.
EDUCATION
Did not attend college — pursued professional tennis from childhood. Self-educated in business and investing.
BOOKS & RESOURCES
Serena Ventures portfolio insights, Unstoppable by Maria Sharapova (competitive context), venture capital research on diverse founders
QUOTES (6)
75% of our portfolio companies are led by women or people of color. That is not charity. That is where the best deals are because everyone else is ignoring them.
Tennis taught me that preparation wins. In investing, diligence is preparation. You do the work before you write the check.
Retiring from tennis was terrifying. Starting Serena Ventures was exciting. The competitive energy does not go away — you just redirect it.
My daughter will inherit businesses, not just money. That is the difference between wealth and legacy.
I have won 23 Grand Slams. Building a venture portfolio is harder. At least in tennis, I controlled the outcome.
I invest in products I use. If I am ordering it, wearing it, or recommending it to my friends, I want to own a piece of it.
NETFIGO SCORE
Proprietary 5-dimension investor rating
Risk Appetite
Contrarian Index
Track Record
Accessibility
Time Horizon
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Head-to-Head
Compare Serena Williams vs another investor.