Serena Investing in Black Women Entrepreneurs

Serena Williams is a force of nature on court.Williams is a rain-maker in the investment world.More: Federer Likely out of 2021 AOIn a new column she wrote for CNN, Serena details why she's investing in black women entrepreneurs. Read Serena's CNN column here."Coming up in a predominately White male sport, I have been underestimated and underpaid throughout my career," Williams writes. "Now, as a venture capitalist investing in early-stage startups, I see myself in the Black female founders who are often counted out right from the start."

In its 2019 "The Richest Self-Made Women" issue, Forbes Forbes estimates Serena’s net worth as $225 million with husband and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian worth an estimated $70 million.The former world No. 1 has created Serena Ventures, an investment company to seed start-ups and fund her own companies. Serena aims to build brands and continue her career as an entrepreneurial power when her playing days are done.“I want to be a part of it,” Williams says of building brands. “I want to be in the infrastructure. I want to be the brand, instead of just being the face.”During the last five years, Williams has invested in 34 start-up companies, according to Forbes.The four-time Olympic gold-medal champion says she's striving to level the investment playing field for black women."Silicon Valley does not have a talent pipeline problem. It has a network selectivity and resource allocation problem," Williams writes in her CNN column. "Venture capitalists should expand their network to include Black female founders and focus on hiring investors who have access to a more diverse network."We can no longer stay oblivious to how our homogeneous networks influence who we fund and who we hire. Lastly, we must extend the same thoughtfulness and consideration we give White male founders to all entrepreneurs." Photo credit: Australian Open Facebook