Apart from being one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Serena Williams is also a highly successful businesswoman. Since her debut more than two decades ago, she has gotten worldwide acclaim and recognition, and been the brand ambassador for a number of brands.

Through her investment firm, Serena Ventures, the American has also invested in a number of budding companies. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that over the years, the former World No. 1 has become a brand in herself. 

Recently, Williams featured in a Super Bowl ad for Tonal Home Gym. The commercial is set to go on air during the Super Bowl. Besides being the brand ambassador for the home fitness company, she’s also one of the early investors. 

In a recent interview, she spoke about why she invested in Tonal. She also opened up about how she looks at investing in startups. 

Serena’s investment in Tonal

Tonal is an in-home weight training machine. It is a wall panel that lets you perform all the necessary weight training exercises at your home. Recently, the company launched the ‘Strength Made Me’ campaign. With this campaign, the company is trying to shift its focus towards raising women’s strength. 

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Williams opened up about her liking for the product, emphasizing on the product’s campaign name. She said, “What I love about this Tonal campaign, ‘Strength Made Me,’ is that it celebrates women who are not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally strong.”

She further stated, “The key takeaway is to embrace your strength, no matter what other people tell you. And you can achieve amazing things.”

Apart from Serena, Tonal also has athletes like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Michelle Wie, and Maria Sharapova in its investor’s list.

Serena Williams invests through Serena Ventures

Launching her investment firm Serena Ventures in 2014, Williams to date has invested in 66 startups through Serena Ventures. 

Talking about her investment practices, Williams expressed, “I built my team to have no unconscious biases, so we invest in everyone. But it’s important for us to give opportunities to those getting skipped over — if the founder happens to be a woman, or happens to be a person of color, that’s a bonus for us. Our portfolio is 60% diverse founders.”

Williams in no time has become one of the most successful athletes turned businesswomen. As per Forbes, Williams was the 2nd highest-paid female athlete with earnings of $45.9 million in 2021.