Serena Williams Joins Reckitt to Boost Underfunded Health Sectors

Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, is expanding her investment portfolio by focusing on sectors that are often overlooked by traditional venture capital. She has been named the first-ever entrepreneur-in-residence at Reckitt, a consumer health giant. In this new role, Williams will mentor and scale startups focused on hygiene, maternal care, and health equity, sectors that remain chronically underfunded despite rising demand.

Williams' appointment coincides with the launch of Reckitt Catalyst, a £10 million initiative aimed at supporting up to 200 underrepresented founders by 2030. The goal is to improve access to health and hygiene for five million people through scalable, locally led solutions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Williams believes that investing in women and overlooked markets can yield significant returns, describing it as "smart business" rather than charity.

Since stepping away from tennis, Williams has built a successful venture investment track record. She launched Serena Ventures in 2014 with a focus on diverse founders, raising a $111 million inaugural fund. Her portfolio includes more than 14 billion-dollar companies and several decacorns. Serena Ventures has primarily invested in early-stage healthcare, fintech, and consumer technology companies. Through her new partnership with Reckitt, Williams is now doubling down on sectors that tend to be overlooked by Silicon Valley, such as hygiene, which she describes as foundational, especially for women, mothers, and children.

Her role at Reckitt will combine mentorship with access to a network. Williams will advise Catalyst entrepreneurs while helping them expand their reach and credibility through strategic introductions. She has already started connecting Catalyst founders with companies in her existing portfolio, emphasizing the importance of relationships in venture capital. Williams believes that giving women an opportunity often leads to them working twice as hard because they have been underestimated from the start. She sees this initiative as a way to expand the pie rather than taking anything away from male founders.