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Serena Williams was building the foundation for her life post-tennis long before she stepped off of the court for the last time. When she was still playing professionally, the athlete decided that she wanted to start investing in growing businesses. Before too long, she noticed a disparity in the share of investment money given to women and people of color in the startup space, in particular.
According to the legend, early in her investing career, she learned that “less than 2 percent of all [venture capital] money went to women.” At first, she didn’t believe the stat. “I knew right then and there that one day I wanted to raise a fund or raise money and invest in women,” she stated on TikTok.
At the same time, Williams also learned that an even smaller percentage of venture capital funds goes to people of color. Her early plans for a fund accounted for that, too. She wanted to be able to invest in both women and people of color. But she doesn’t limit herself, either.
“My portfolio kind of leans more towards women and people of color obviously because that’s what I want to focus on, but when people are talking about diversity, that really means everyone having a seat at the table, everyone kind of having an opportunity to win,” she explained of her investment approach. “That’s what I like to do.”
Williams’s wisdom is a lesson to us all, particularly on International Women’s Day today.
