How Serena Williams And Alexis Ohanian Balance Love, Business And Billion-Dollar Moves

Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and a successful venture capitalist, have built not only a family empire but also a financial one. In a recent discussion, Ohanian shed light on how the couple approaches their investments, balancing their personal and professional worlds with precision.

Ohanian explained that he and Williams maintain a strict separation when it comes to handling their portfolios. “We keep it very church and state. And that’s, by design,” he noted, adding that while they collaborate as life partners, their investment decisions often remain independent.

As the founder of venture capital firm 776, Ohanian has committed more than nine figures of his own money into the fund, treating it as a vehicle for both his personal wealth and institutional investors. Despite his independent approach, he often loops in Williams whenever sports-related investments come into play.

“And we keep it; my wife and I are very church and state. You know, as I’ve said it’s funny, all of my sports investments thus far, I have brought my wife into vis-a-vis, like, ‘hey, we’re married, and, you know, this is the thing I’m investing in. So obviously, you know, you’re getting half of the upside that I am right?’” he said with a smile in an interview with CNBC.

Interestingly, Williams carved her own path when she invested in the Toronto Tempo, her first direct investment in women’s sports. Ohanian admitted that moment stood out as a proud one for him. “It wasn’t until she made the investment in the Toronto tempo, that was actually her first investment in women’s sports, and that was all her. And it was awesome to see,” he shared.

While Ohanian occasionally offers Williams advice on organizational management and business operations, he emphasized his competitive drive to maximize returns. “I am very competitive. And while I have, I have given her advice when she’s asked for it, about org management and different sort of business things, I want to have the best possible returns, and so we keep it very church and state,” he reiterated.

For the couple, it’s a unique balance: balancing Serena’s unparalleled expertise in sports with Ohanian’s venture capital acumen, while maintaining independence that keeps their investments strong and strategic.