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Serena Williams Balances Wimbledon Comeback, Family Life, and a $111 Million VC Fund Backing 100+ Startups
In 2026, Serena Williams returned to the Wimbledon courts after a four‑year break from professional tennis, only to withdraw on July 4 with a knee injury. While the world watched her brief comeback, she has been busy building a venture‑capital empire that now backs more than a hundred startups led by women and people of color.
The 44‑year‑old has shifted her focus to family, a new weight‑loss partnership, and an expanding investment portfolio. In 2023 she welcomed a second child with her husband, Reddit co‑founder Alexis Ohanian. The following year she launched a brand partnership with the telehealth weight‑loss provider Ro. These ventures underscore her growing interest in health and wellness beyond the tennis court.
Williams founded Serena Ventures in 2014 and revealed it to the public in 2019. The firm’s mission is to back companies led by under‑represented founders. In 2022 the fund raised $111 million for its first institutional vehicle, and since then it has invested in more than 100 companies across fintech, health tech and e‑commerce.
A 2024 TikTok video shows Williams saying, “It’s super important for me to make a plan B while I was doing my plan A.” The comment illustrates her dual focus on sport and entrepreneurship.
Portfolio highlights reveal that 85 percent of Serena Ventures’ companies are led by under‑represented entrepreneurs, and 54 percent are founded by women. Fourteen of the portfolio companies have reached unicorn status, including Indonesian coffee chain Kopi Kenangan and weight‑loss app Noom.
Key investments include:
• Teal Health – In 2023 Serena Ventures poured $8.8 million into a seed round led by Metrodora Ventures and Emerson Collective. Founder Kara Egan, 45, started the company in 2020 to expand cervical‑cancer screening. The at‑home Teal Wand has shown HPV detection rates comparable to in‑clinic testing in a National Cancer Institute‑funded study. Egan told Observer that the firm’s support “strengthened our conviction that preventive care products must be designed with the same rigor around experience as clinical outcomes.”
• TracFlo – The firm invested $1 million in 2021 through a prize package from the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic. Founder Khalid David, 32, launched the company in 2019 to streamline financial management in construction. In 2024 David participated in the Google for Startups Accelerator, where integrating Gemini improved customer efficiency by 80 percent.
• SoLo Funds – Serena Ventures committed a seven‑figure sum in 2023. The fintech platform, founded in 2018, lets users lend and borrow short‑term funds within a community model. It has facilitated more than 2.5 million loans. A 2025 lawsuit from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over alleged misleading advertising was dismissed.
• OpenSponsorship – The firm backed the platform in 2022 with a seven‑figure investment. OpenSponsorship connects athletes, creators and wellness influencers with brands. Clients include Jake Paul, LeBron James, Taylor Fritz and Hailie Deegan, while brands such as Walmart, IZOD and Harmless Harvest use the service. Ishveen Jolly, a former director for British Wrestling, told the Sports Business Journal that “I feel like the performance is there because the engagement’s there. And the engagement’s there because their content is interesting.”
Other notable founders in the portfolio include Mina Shahid, Catherine Denis and Benjamin Best of Numida, a Uganda‑based fintech; Yele Bademosi and Joseph Taiwo Orilogbon of Nestcoin; Joanna Strober and colleagues of Midi Health; Emily Hosie of Rebel; Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel of Esusu; and Isoken Igbinedio of Parfait.
Serena Ventures’ focus on diversity has drawn attention in the venture‑capital community. Its portfolio is 85 percent led by under‑represented entrepreneurs, a stark contrast to the 1.1 percent of total venture funding that went to women in 2025.
The firm’s growth runs parallel to Williams’ public profile. Her Wimbledon return, the birth of her second child, and her partnership with Ro keep her in the media spotlight while she continues to invest in early‑stage companies.
As of now, Serena Ventures has completed more than 100 investments and continues to seek founders who align with its diversity mission. The firm’s next funding round is expected to be announced later in 2026, and Williams remains active in both the tennis and venture‑capital arenas.
The story illustrates how a high‑profile athlete can transition from sport to entrepreneurship, leveraging personal brand and capital to support under‑represented founders across multiple sectors.
The 44‑year‑old has shifted her focus to family, a new weight‑loss partnership, and an expanding investment portfolio. In 2023 she welcomed a second child with her husband, Reddit co‑founder Alexis Ohanian. The following year she launched a brand partnership with the telehealth weight‑loss provider Ro. These ventures underscore her growing interest in health and wellness beyond the tennis court.
Williams founded Serena Ventures in 2014 and revealed it to the public in 2019. The firm’s mission is to back companies led by under‑represented founders. In 2022 the fund raised $111 million for its first institutional vehicle, and since then it has invested in more than 100 companies across fintech, health tech and e‑commerce.
A 2024 TikTok video shows Williams saying, “It’s super important for me to make a plan B while I was doing my plan A.” The comment illustrates her dual focus on sport and entrepreneurship.
Portfolio highlights reveal that 85 percent of Serena Ventures’ companies are led by under‑represented entrepreneurs, and 54 percent are founded by women. Fourteen of the portfolio companies have reached unicorn status, including Indonesian coffee chain Kopi Kenangan and weight‑loss app Noom.
Key investments include:
• Teal Health – In 2023 Serena Ventures poured $8.8 million into a seed round led by Metrodora Ventures and Emerson Collective. Founder Kara Egan, 45, started the company in 2020 to expand cervical‑cancer screening. The at‑home Teal Wand has shown HPV detection rates comparable to in‑clinic testing in a National Cancer Institute‑funded study. Egan told Observer that the firm’s support “strengthened our conviction that preventive care products must be designed with the same rigor around experience as clinical outcomes.”
• TracFlo – The firm invested $1 million in 2021 through a prize package from the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic. Founder Khalid David, 32, launched the company in 2019 to streamline financial management in construction. In 2024 David participated in the Google for Startups Accelerator, where integrating Gemini improved customer efficiency by 80 percent.
• SoLo Funds – Serena Ventures committed a seven‑figure sum in 2023. The fintech platform, founded in 2018, lets users lend and borrow short‑term funds within a community model. It has facilitated more than 2.5 million loans. A 2025 lawsuit from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over alleged misleading advertising was dismissed.
• OpenSponsorship – The firm backed the platform in 2022 with a seven‑figure investment. OpenSponsorship connects athletes, creators and wellness influencers with brands. Clients include Jake Paul, LeBron James, Taylor Fritz and Hailie Deegan, while brands such as Walmart, IZOD and Harmless Harvest use the service. Ishveen Jolly, a former director for British Wrestling, told the Sports Business Journal that “I feel like the performance is there because the engagement’s there. And the engagement’s there because their content is interesting.”
Other notable founders in the portfolio include Mina Shahid, Catherine Denis and Benjamin Best of Numida, a Uganda‑based fintech; Yele Bademosi and Joseph Taiwo Orilogbon of Nestcoin; Joanna Strober and colleagues of Midi Health; Emily Hosie of Rebel; Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel of Esusu; and Isoken Igbinedio of Parfait.
Serena Ventures’ focus on diversity has drawn attention in the venture‑capital community. Its portfolio is 85 percent led by under‑represented entrepreneurs, a stark contrast to the 1.1 percent of total venture funding that went to women in 2025.
The firm’s growth runs parallel to Williams’ public profile. Her Wimbledon return, the birth of her second child, and her partnership with Ro keep her in the media spotlight while she continues to invest in early‑stage companies.
As of now, Serena Ventures has completed more than 100 investments and continues to seek founders who align with its diversity mission. The firm’s next funding round is expected to be announced later in 2026, and Williams remains active in both the tennis and venture‑capital arenas.
The story illustrates how a high‑profile athlete can transition from sport to entrepreneurship, leveraging personal brand and capital to support under‑represented founders across multiple sectors.
