23-time singles Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is searching for tech founders with a compelling story to inform. 

The tennis icon turned focused on know-how lengthy earlier than retiring from the game in 2022. In 2017, whereas nonetheless on the skilled event circuit, Williams teamed up with Alison Rapaport Stillman to discovered Serena Ventures, a enterprise capital agency investing in early stage tech firms. 

The agency raised $111 million for its inaugural fund and has since constructed out the staff to incorporate six different members. Serena Ventures has backed firms like gaming upstart Bunch, education-focused social platform Fiveable, Black- and Latinx-focused digital healthcare firm Hued, and a smattering of fintech and web3 firms. 

On the Zeta Dwell 2025 convention, Williams spoke candidly about her method to investing. 

A deal with private connection

Although Serena Ventures seeks out early indicators of progress and market match, these aren’t the primary components it considers. 

“One factor that we actually search for is a real story. After we discuss to founders they usually say, ‘Oh, it is a nice white house,’ we love that, however normally, we’ve discovered that founders don’t do as nicely except they’d some form of private expertise” tying them to their mission, Williams mentioned. “Clearly, there must be a market for it, and a market match, however [a personal connection] is among the major issues that we have a look at in founders.”

One founder within the Serena Ventures portfolio—whose firm she known as a “main unicorn”—informed her that his mom needed to promote her jewellery to fund his ambitions. He struggled financially to get began, and now, Williams mentioned, “he was tackling an thought not as a result of it was a white house” however as a result of he was personally compelled by fixing a particular downside. 

Serena Williams opens up about GLP-1 use as a celebrity ambassador for Ro.

Dedication to the 98%

Past a private narrative that signifies a founder’s potential, Williams seems to be for startups that purpose to handle widespread wants.

“Quite a lot of VC focuses on 2% to three% to 4% of the inhabitants. We actually deal with that 98%,” she mentioned.