Serena Williams: From the tennis court to the boardroom
Serena Williams has distinguished herself as a personality to be reckoned with, as far as the beautiful sport of tennis is concerned. At least, the numbers speak for themselves: 23 Grand Slam titles, winning 7 matches while pregnant; a total of $84 million career prize money, which is reported to be $50 million higher than any other female tennis player; and, she is considered to be one of the top 100 celebrities in the world.
Her forays into entrepreneurship
Serena Williams’ forays into the business world began with her endorsement deals or partnerships with over a dozen companies, which include Intel, Tempur-Pedic, JP Morgan Chase, Nike, Gatorade, and others. On Home Shopping Network, Serena has her own fashion line, a handbag, and jewelry collection.
Together with her sister, Venus Williams, Serena operates a Sports Franchise. And the duo have a stake in Miami Dolphins, which makes them the first African-American females to maintain a stake in an NFL franchise.
In 2010, Serena Williams was certified as a nail technician, but it is not clear, at the moment, if she hopes to set up a beauty shop in the near future.
A board member for the minorities
At the suggestion of her friend, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, Serena Williams recently joined the board of a consumer survey startup, and IT firm co-founded by Sheryl’s deceased husband, Dave Goldberg. This is the tennis queen’s first adventure into the Silicon Valley, a technology ecosystem that has been accused of not fully embracing diversity. Sources close to her confirmed that Serena Williams accepted the board member role to promote diversity in the Valley and encourage other companies to place women at the helms of their affairs.
On occasion of her appointment as a board member, the CEO of the survey startup, Zander Lurie, remarked that “Williams’ voice on the board sends a strong message to our company, investors, and the industry. We want a change agent.”
Therefore, the recent allegations against 500 Startups, a venture fund and accelerator, that one of its co-founders has been sexually abusing female founders or business owners may have made Serena’s entrance into the Silicon Valley a timely occurrence. Her focus is not only on running the businesses she is associate with but also pushing for a fair deal for the minorities, most especially men and women of color.
Serena Williams, after the delivery of her baby, is expected to return to her first love — tennis — in 2017, while keeping a tab on her entrepreneurial adventures.
