Serena Wiliams Is 1st Athlete to Hit Forbes' List of World's Richest Self-Made Women

Serena Williams is officially the first athlete to be a part of Forbes' "World's Richest Self-Made Women" list after venturing into businesses outside of tennis.

Everyone knows that Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian Sr., has made a fortune thanks to his tech invention, Reddit, and his $500 million funds, Initialized Capital. However, what people do not know, is that Serena has been quietly raking up her own fortune, and it's not because of tennis.

While she's one of the most well-decorated athletes in the world, Serena's fortune does not just come from the sport and the countless times she's won tournaments. The majority actually comes from her business ventures and her own "Serena Williams" brand.

"I want to be part of it."

Investing in Herself

Since 2014, the brilliant Serena Williams has secretly been investing in 34 different startups. In April 2019, she officially announced that her own firm, Serena Ventures, is now open for business. Her goal is to fund and launch companies herself, with the help of different partners and investors.

Like Williams, other athletes have ventured into making their own media companies and brands such as Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. Andre Iguodala and Carmelo Anthony have also gone into venture capital investments. However, what makes Serena different, is that she's keen on having her investments run by her.

“I want to be a part of it. I want to be in the infrastructure. I want to be the brand, instead of just being the face.”

Like Husband, Like Wife

Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams are clearly the perfect matches for one another, as they both know how to pursue businesses that are aligned with their passions. They perfectly complement one another, and it's easy for them to talk about anything - even business.

Their strong bond began in 2015 when they met at a hotel in Rome. At first, they began having casual conversations with one another, before they became good friends. In fact, Alexis did not know who Serena was when they met, as he's never watched a single tennis match in his life. Likewise, Serena had no idea that "Reddit" was a big deal on the internet before meeting Ohanian.

Joint Venture

Despite their differences, they gave dating a chance in June 2015, before ultimately getting engaged in December 2016. By January 2017, they would find out that Serena was pregnant with their first child.

Now, they have little Alexis Olympia Ohanian in tow when they travel and have different dealings both together and individually. Parenting is a joint venture that they both enjoy.