Serena Williams Is Competing on a New Court: Investment

This article is part of our special section on the DealBook Summit that included business and policy leaders from around the world.

Serena Williams may have retired in 2022 from a record breaking career in professional tennis that catapulted her to global fame, but her post-tournament life keeps her just as professionally engaged, albeit in a different realm.

Ms. Williams, 43, is the founder of Serena Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in early stage companies, primarily ones founded by women and minorities. Established in 2017, when Ms. Williams was at the peak of her career, the firm raised $111 million for its inaugural fund and has invested in more than 60 brands.

Serena Ventures comprises a team of seven, including Ms. Williams, and supports companies that positively impact “the everyday lives of everyday people,” she said.

They include Parfait, a Black-owned brand that relies on A.I. and facial recognition to create custom wigs and hair extensions, and Halp, a company that helps students navigate the process of studying abroad and make it more affordable. Serena Ventures also has a hand in the media and entertainment brand Boss Beauty, and Wile, a line of plant-based supplements for women over 40.

Beyond her venture fund, Ms. Williams’ professional pursuits encompass Wyn Beauty by Serena Williams, a line of makeup with products made with vegan ingredients and minimal chemicals. She also has stakes in sports teams, including, she said, the Miami Dolphins.

In her conversation on the main stage at the DealBook Summit 2024 with the event’s founder, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Ms. Williams touched on her competitive nature and her relationships with her family. She said that while her father, Richard Williams, might be perceived as tough, her mother, Oracene Price, was “way tougher.”