Serena Williams is making her mark as a leading businesswoman by launching new brands and investing in innovative startups. One of her latest investments focuses on promoting sustainability through the resale of returned goods.
Rebelstork, an online platform, has successfully raised over $18 million, with significant support from the tennis icon. The startup aims to collect returned and overstocked baby gear and sell it at discounted prices. This initiative helps ensure that these products are reused instead of ending up in landfills.
According to the National Retail Federation, the baby gear sector accounts for nearly $16 billion of the total $753 billion in merchandise returns. The industry is growing at an impressive rate of 300% per year, presenting lucrative opportunities for Williams.
Williams’s approach to business goes beyond profit. The 23-time Grand Slam champion seeks to align her investments with her passions and contribute to societal issues. In 2017, she founded Serena Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in both small and large businesses. As a mother, she is particularly passionate about companies focused on children, making Rebelstork a fitting investment.
Previously, Williams invested in Zigazoo, a social media app for kids. In 2022, she authored a children’s book titled The Adventures of Qai Qai and launched a production company, Nine Two Six Productions, which produced the Oscar-nominated film King Richard, about her father.
In addition to these ventures, Williams, alongside her sister Venus, owns a minority stake in the NFL team Miami Dolphins. She also runs her own fashion and jewelry lines, S by Serena and Serena Williams Jewelry.
Through these diverse investments, Williams is exploring the sectors she is passionate about, fulfilling ambitions that her tennis career once constrained.
