Serena Williams Says Fund Backs ‘Overlooked’ Founders

Serena Williams had been investing in early stage startups for almost a decade before announcing her first fund that will deploy outside capital. The tennis star said she raised the money to back the next generation of “champion” entrepreneurs who don’t look like the last.

It’s easy to understand how those founders are overlooked, she said Monday in a Bloomberg Television interview, when you consider the New York Times report on the $111 million fund from Serena Ventures LLC announced earlier this month. The story featured a photo of Serena’s sister, Venus Williams.