Serena Williams: Tennis star's passion project has raised $111 million

Serena Williams is well-known across the world for her world class athleticism and record-breaking tennis career.

Indeed, with 23 Grand Slam titles — the most won by any player in the Open Era — it’s impossible not to immediately think of her astounding sporting achievements.

But the queen of the court has proven her skills and passion are not just defined by tennis as she recently revealed her venture capital firm has raised a staggering $111 million in an inaugural fund.

Serena Ventures is a firm that invests in founders and empowers them to “change the world.”

Williams started up her company nine years ago and has taken on a portfolio of more than 60 angel investments — all backed by the athlete’s own money.

An angel investor is an individual who uses their own funds to support a start-up company or project, an avenue that could only take Williams so far.

“As an angel investor, you can only do so much,” she told Black Enterprise. “I knew that I wanted to do a fund, but I worked backward, by using my own capital and then creating a track record and getting to know everyone.”

Williams started her firm when she saw first-hand what kind of impact start-ups can have on everyday lives. Her dedication has helped multiply this effort.

Serena Ventures has since expanded its circle and partnered with other equity investment firms including Norwest and CapitalG. This has allowed the company to take investments to another level on a much larger scale.

“The ability to write bigger checks and the ability to lead seed rounds really enables us to deliver on our mission and to unlock value for our investors and open doors for founders.”

The big day is here! ✨We’re thrilled to announce that Serena Ventures has raised a $100 million