“This is inaccurate” – Serena Williams clarifies she’s not personally invested in Coco Gauff, Steph Curry & Michael Phelps-backed Unrivaled league

Serena Williams firmly calls out ‘inaccurate’ headline about her VC firm’s investment in Unrivaled women’s basketball league – Source: Getty

Serena Williams set the record straight about an inaccurate headline in an article by CNBC. The headline stated that the 23-time Grand Slam champion has invested in the Women’s 3×3 Unrivaled Basketball League, founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.

According to CNBC, the $340 million-valued basketball league opened a new funding round in which Williams participated. To be precise, her company, Serena Ventures, was part of a Series B funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures.

CNBC used the headline “Serena Williams invests in women’s basketball league Unrivaled, now valued at $340 million” for their article, which Williams said was “inaccurate.” She wrote in her X post:

“This headline is inaccurate. Serena Williams (me) did not personally invest in Unrivaled. @SerenaVentures, an institutional VC fund now run and managed by Beth Ferreira invested in Unrivaled. I remain a partner at Serena Ventures, not in an operational role. To say that Serena Williams, a person, and Serena Ventures, an institution, are one in the same is inaccurate.”

This headline is inaccurate. Serena Williams (me) did not personally invest in Unrivaled. @SerenaVentures, an institutional VC fund now run and managed by Beth Ferreira invested in Unrivaled. I remain a partner at Serena Ventures, not in an operational role. To say that Serena

After the latest funding round, the league’s valuation has soared from $95 million a year ago to $340 million. According to the league, the new funding will be used to improve its facilities and promote it worldwide ahead of its second season.

According to the same reports, the Unrivaled Basketball League has received investments from several top celebrities, including tennis legend Billie Jean King, NBA superstar Stephen Curry, 2025 Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff, and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

Unrivaled President expresses pleasure to see Serena Williams’ investment fund added to the cap table

Alex Bazzell, co-founder and president of Unrivaled, is excited to have Serena Williams’ Serena Ventures on the cap table, saying the league has seen tremendous growth over the past few years, and having one of the most empowered female athletes suggests they are going in the right direction.

“To add arguably the most iconic female athlete to play sports, I think it exemplifies who Unrivaled is not just with our players on the court, but the number of investors on our cap table who had been icons in their own lanes,” Bazzell said.

Unrivaled has become the means for WNBA players to earn during the offseason. With WNBA salaries not turning out to be enough, players previously opted to go overseason to earn in the offseason. But now with the 3×3 Unrivaled Basketball League in place, they can do so while staying in the US only.