Alexis Ohanian has been one of the biggest names that has conquered the business world in recent times. He has worked as an entrepreneur and an investor. Last year, Ohanian passed down his experiences and journey in MasterClass for people who wanted to build a startup. His first advice was that individuals don’t have to be the best at what they do to create a startup. This particular advice would not be in the rule book of his wife, Serena Williams.
Ohanian’s mindset has been moulded by years of experience in the business industry. Meanwhile, Williams has grown up in a much more competitive atmosphere in tennis. She was on the WTA tour since 1997 and retired from the sport in 2022. Williams believes that a person can only excel in a field where they are the best.
The former world No.1 still has a competitive mindset while being an investor. Williams comes from a sporting background, which is why her perspective is different from that of Ohanian. She has been one of the most hardworking people Ohanian has ever met. Serena Williams has been an inspiration for Alexis Ohanian, and he has been helping people set up their businesses.
The 40-year-old spent time breaking down essential components of building a startup at Master Class. It consisted of 16 video lessons spread over two hours and 17 minutes. Ohanian spoke about finding funding, networking, countering competition and many more core values needed during the initial stages of a startup. After involvement with startups for an extended period, estimations place Ohanian’s net worth around 150 million dollars.
The American co-founded Reddit in 2005 along with Steve Huffman. After 16 months of work, Ohanian pitched Reddit to Conde Nast, securing a deal for $10 million in 2006. A few years later, Ohanian returned to Reddit, then valued at less than $10 million. With Ohanian’s expertise, the company’s valuation grew by more than 10 billion dollars. Reddit’s current IPO valuation stands at 6.4 billion dollars as per Reuters.
Ohanian stepped down as executive chairman in 2020 in protest of racial injustice. He was pained to see people suffer due to their color. Ohanian continued to set up spaces for the growth of colored individuals in startups. Over the past few years, he has partnered up with Serena to contribute to a more friendly environment in the business world.
Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams working towards a shared vision
Ohanian and Williams first met in 2015 and started dating a year later. Eight years down the line, the power couple has been working on a mission they both want to achieve. Ohanian and Williams have been investing together while keeping in mind the growth of the next generation.
The couple made headlines when they bought a TGL golf league team. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, founders of the new tech-forward, primetime, team golf league, added the Los Angeles Golf Club as the sixth team. Venus Williams, too, joined hands as she invested with her sister and Ohanian.
In terms of investments, Williams, through Serena Ventures, invested in Gobble, which delivers easy-to-prepare meal kits. Initialized, which Ohanian co-founded, also supports Gobble. Serena Ventures also has a MasterClass in its portfolio, as Williams and Ohanian have taken classes for the company.
Serena Ventures and Initialized have also invested in Sendwave, which helps people transfer money across continents. Sendwave reduces the complications and does not charge high fees. By investing in these companies, Ohanian and Williams have been encouraging individuals to develop their ideas and turn them into a reality.
