Serena Williams is widely regarded as the best tennis player to ever step on the court. Her sporting success has made her a household name, but her business ventures are equally fascinating.
In fact, her decorated career and impressive business partnerships could see her become the world’s first-ever billionaire female athlete.
It depends Andrew Petcash, founder of the sports business newsletter Petcash Post, who highlighted how Williams’ investment portfolio could see his already handsome net worth skyrocket in the coming years.
The Queen of the Court is the highest paid female athlete of all time and it’s easy to see why.
With a total of 39 Grand Slam titles (23 singles, 14 doubles, two mixed doubles) and four Olympic gold medals, Williams is said to have earned over $94 million from tennis tournaments throughout her illustrious career.
Petcash also reports that the 40-year-old earns more than $15 million a year from endorsements alone. Williams has signed a number of lucrative deals over the years with major brands such as Nike, Pepsi and Beats by Dre.
As the most successful singles player in the Open Era, the American star is hugely marketable. Williams currently has a net worth of $225 million, which Petcash has predicted will grow significantly based on her investments.
Serena has been paid well throughout her career.
She earned $94,518,971 from tennis:
• Record from 855 to 152 singles
• 37 Grand Slam titles
• 4 Olympic gold medalsSerena is the highest paid female athlete of all time.
—Andrew Petcash (@AndrewPetcash) April 28, 2022
Serena Williams’ investments
His venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, recently raised $111 million in an inaugural fund and has invested in more than 50 startups since its founding in 2014.
Williams originally backed around 60 companies as an angel investor – someone who uses their own funds to support a start-up business or project. From there, she created Serena Ventures to expand her efforts and continue to provide opportunities for others.
“As an angel investor, there’s not much you can do,” she recently told Black Enterprise. “I knew I wanted to start a fund, but I worked backwards, using my own capital, then building a track record and getting to know everyone.”
The big day is here! ✨We are thrilled to announce that Serena Ventures has raised $100 million to power early-stage startups focused on improving our daily lives through innovative products and services.
and invite founders of all kinds to #Play to win. pic.twitter.com/1r2HHHx3gS— Serena Ventures (@SerenaVentures) March 1, 2022
Serena Ventures is working to change the venture capital landscape. After finding out that less than two percent of all VC money goes to women, the former world number one was stunned and knew she had to try to make a difference.
“I really wanted to bring diversity to VC in any way that I could. And the only way to change those numbers was to be the person who wrote the big checks.
Serena Ventures’ portfolio includes a healthy majority of 76% businesses led by people from underrepresented backgrounds, including women (53%) and Black business owners (47%).
Participations in large companies
Williams also has stakes in larger companies and sports organizations, whose valuations have at times skyrocketed since she began investing.
Petcash reports that Williams invested in the UFC in 2016, which grew from a valuation of $5 billion to over $10 billion.
She currently has a net worth of $225 million.
Here are Serena’s 5 best investments →
—Andrew Petcash (@AndrewPetcash) April 28, 2022
She also owns a stake in fitness company Tonal, along with other athletes including LeBron James and Mike Tyson. Since its investment in 2019, Tonal has grown from a valuation of $45 million to over $1.6 billion.
Williams and her sister Venus both acquired a minority stake in NFL team the Miami Dolphins in 2009, which has since gone from $1 billion to $3.4 billion in valuation.
Besides being an incredible athlete and businesswoman, Williams is a philanthropist who has helped build schools for children in Africa and the Caribbean, raised $65,000 for post-earthquake reconstruction in Kaikoura and launched the Serena Williams Fund.
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