As public controversy stews over GQ putting “woman” in quotes on its Williams cover, the tennis ace is quietly making waves in an entirely different way.
She’s hoping to hit a Grand Slam with her investments.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner is making headlines today with her new GQ cover, as fans are outraged that the woman-of-the-year cover features “woman” in quotes (Williams has written about being called a man because of her strength) -- though the artist is known for putting quotes around his wording.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Williams -- who already backs roughly 30 companies -- is making a splash that few people know about: She’s putting her time and millions towards investing in companies helmed by African-Americans and women.
“I invest mostly in women, because I found out that women get less than 2% of funds raised by venture capitalists,” Williams recently told AdWeek. Indeed, one of her most prominent investments is female-led frozen meal delivery service Daily Harvest, as Moneyish reported last year.
She’s right: Data from Pitchbook reveals that, last year, just 2% of the $85 billion raised by companies from VC firms went to female-founded start-ups in America. On top of that, they raised less: the average round of funding was $5 million, versus $12 million for men.
www.marketwatch.com
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