Known for her individuality, tennis star Serena Williams has now become the first athlete to make it to Forbes’ annual list of the World’s Richest Self-Made Women. She has an estimated $225 million fortune, Forbes noted.
The 23 Grand Slam winner is an investor, having put money into 34 start-ups over the past five years. With her latest investment entity, Serena Ventures, which was launched last April, she became richest. According to Williams, the firm caters to a social purpose, focusing on funding companies run by women and minorities. So far, 60% investments have gone to companies led by women or people of colour.
Notably, the tennis ace has recently joined Indian actress Priyanka Chopra as an investor for the dating application Bumble. The actress welcomed the tennis star and tweeted, “Welcome to The Bumble Fund, Serena Williams! We’re very lucky to have you on board… Bumble.”
This is not the first time that the tennis superstar has invested in a company. She has shares in around 30 companies through her own platform, Serena Ventures, including Brandless, The Wing, and Billie. In addition, she serves as a board member of Silicon Valley companies Poshmark and SurveyMonkey.
“The prominent tennis player has blown away any number of barriers and stereotypes, proved to be a smart and successful businesswoman who made the vast majority of her fortune via her brain and brand rather than her backhand.”
According to Forbes, “The prominent tennis player has blown away any number of barriers and stereotypes, proved to be a smart and successful businesswoman who made the vast majority of her fortune via her brain and brand rather than her backhand.”
“I want to be a part of it,” Williams, 37, said about her financial investments. “I want to be in the infrastructure. I want to be the brand, instead of just being the face.”
The 37-year-old American made $29 million from endorsements over the past 12 months, thus having the highest income of her sports career.
Along with her investments, the 37-year-old American made $29 million from endorsements over the past 12 months, thus having the highest income of her sports career. “I learned you can’t overspend, but I also learned that I love seed investing,” she said adding, “It’s fun to get in there. I don’t gamble. I don’t jump off buildings,” says Williams. “I’m the most non-taking-a-chance kind of a person, but I felt like seed was where we wanted to be.”
READ:Retribution In Tutu: Serena Williams’ Fitting Reply To Catsuit Ban
Apart from the investments, Serena Williams has been outspoken about various social issues related motherhood and parenting. Earlier she had boldly accepted that she was suffering from “postpartum emotions” and it was hard to cope with the struggles of balancing family, life and tennis. “I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to three years if not dealt with,” she said, NDTV reported.
The 36-year-old American missed most of the 2017 WTA season due to her pregnancy. The tennis ace has earlier spoken about the complications she suffered after giving birth to her daughter. During her pregnancy, she was ranked No 1 in the world and won the Australian Open in her first trimester.
Feature Image Credit: FanDuel
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