I’m not that into tennis. Growing up, my school didn’t offer much in the way of a tennis team, seeing as how there’s not a huge tennis circuit in small farming towns across the Midwest. Despite being in a sports-centric family, tennis never made its way into the regular programming of our family’s TV schedule. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever watched a full match beginning to end. I just can’t call myself a tennis fan.
But I am, without a doubt, a huge Serena Williams fan.
Williams retired from professional tennis earlier this month at the US Open after a remarkable career in which she won 23 Grand Slam titles (including one while pregnant with her daughter, Olympia), 73 singles titles, 23 doubles titles (all with her sister, Venus), and 4 Olympic gold medals. She is one of the most dominant athletes of all time, regardless of sport or gender.
Perhaps most impressively, she managed to accomplish all of this despite facing a truly abhorrent and never ending barrage of sexist and racist vitriol.
That level of success is something I can appreciate and admire, but that’s only part of why I’m such a big Serena fan.
As a result of all that winning, it’s understood that Williams has won over $94 million dollars in prize money throughout the course of her career. Combined with millions more in endorsement deals, Williams has made more money from her sport than any other professional female athlete in history.
And, like any great madam millionaire, she has put her financial resources to work. In addition to founding a number of style and fashion related businesses, Williams has also made a series of investments in professional sports teams. Serena, back in 2009, along with her sister Venus, bought a minority stake of the Miami Dolphins. That made them the first female African American owners of an NFL franchise. Williams is also part of the majority female ownership group of Angel City FC team in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), and is rumored to be part of an ownership group looking to bid on the storied Chelsea soccer club in the Premier League.
Professional sports franchises are reportedly some of the best investments you can make (if you have the substantial amount of money required to do it!), but Williams isn’t stopping there. Nine years ago, she founded Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm, and has said she plans to dedicate much of her post-tennis life to that endeavor. She’s already invested in multiple unicorns (defined as start-ups that have reached a valuation of $1 billion or more), such as MasterClass, Tonal, and Noom, among others.
Williams also recognizes that the world of venture capital is bro-culture central and has made a dedicated effort to ensure she invests in people within her own community. Serena Ventures has 78% percent of their portfolio invested in companies founded by women or people of color. And, she recently joked about having to make their first diversity hire, by finally bringing a dude into the fold!
What. A. Legend.
Serena Williams will go down as one of the greatest athletes of all time. It would be so easy for her to take her 23 grand slams and $94 million and ride off into the sunset. But instead, she’s decided to invest in her community, in businesses that resonate with her, and in people who look like her, because she recognizes if she doesn’t do it, nobody else is going to. Tennis has made Serena the GOAT madam millionaire, but her impact off the court is already positioned to be even more epic.