US Open: Serena Williams' business empire includes NFL team stake, personal investment firm
Tennis great Serena Williams will compete for yet another championship prize payout at the 2019 U.S. Open women’s singles final on Saturday, but her on-court winnings are just one small part of a sprawling business empire that includes numerous endorsements and investments.
Williams invests in rising startups through her firm, Serena Ventures. Founded in 2014, the firm has invested in more than 30 brands to date across an array of industries, including plant-based “meat” company Impossible Foods, meal-service company Daily Harvest, organic baby food brand Little Spoon, digital currency exchange CoinBase and digital fitness company Tonal.
“Serena Ventures invests in companies that embrace diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity and opportunity,” a message on the firm's website says.
Williams and her older sister, fellow tennis star Venus, also hold equity stakes of undisclosed size in both the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and Ultimate Fighting Championship. Williams has a personal net worth of $225 million and is a fixture of Forbes’ annual list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
As one of the most sought-after endorsers in all of professional sports, Williams also has deals with several major corporate brands, including Nike, JPMorgan Chase, Beats Electronics and Bumble. She earned $25 million through endorsement deals alone in the 12-month period ending in June, according to Forbes.
Williams enters a U.S. Open finals match against 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu with more than $90 million in career prize money, by far the most of any female player in tennis history. Her career haul is more than double that of her nearest competitor, Venus, who has earned roughly $42 million.
Williams can add to that total on Saturday. The winner of the U.S. Open is set to receive $3.85 million in prize money, while the runner-up is due $1.9 million.
The match begins at 4 p.m. ET at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.