Interview Key Points

Entrepreneurship and Wreck-It Catalyst Role

Serena Williams discussed her new position as an entrepreneur-in-residence for the start-up accelerator program, Catalyst.

She aims to focus on building businesses and mentoring entrepreneurs, specifically those centered on women and innovation.
The collaboration with Wreck-It was a two-year process rooted in a mutual commitment to authentic support for innovators.
Her goal is to move beyond personal achievement and focus on empowering others to reach their own definitions of success.

Driven by curiosity, Serena has spent over a decade investing in companies through her firm, Serena Ventures.

She views her transition into venture capital as a way to participate in the “digital revolution” and support technologies that change how people live.
She emphasizes the importance of diverse portfolios, specifically highlighting the need to address the systemic issue where less than 2% of investment capital goes to women and founders of color.
While acknowledging she cannot change the entire industry alone, she uses her platform to encourage better representation and funding opportunities.

Serena attributes her professional longevity and business growth to the core values she developed on the tennis court.

Discipline and Determination: She considers these the most critical crossover traits, noting that business, like tennis, requires a daily commitment to growth and persistence through challenges.
Intensity: She channels the same competitive intensity that defined her tennis career into her business ventures and motherhood.
Nurturing Talent: She believes that while some traits are innate, successful entrepreneurship is often a skill that can be nurtured through guidance and mentorship.

Serena shared her emotional relationship with her past in tennis, which she officially stepped away from in 2022.

She admits to feeling a sense of nostalgia and sadness when looking back, often using avoidance techniques because she genuinely misses the competition.
She fondly recalls the “iconic” 1999 U.S. Open win as a pivotal moment from her youth.
She reflected on the “outer-body experience” of winning the Australian Open while nine weeks pregnant, acknowledging how difficult it was to compete during that time.

Beyond her professional achievements, Serena spoke about her personal life and the values that keep her grounded.

Humility: She credits her parents with instilling deep humility, which she considers more important than any championship trophy.
Motherhood: Raising her two daughters is a primary focus, and she channels her characteristic “intensity” into being the best mother she can be.
Defining Success: She encourages girls and women to be themselves, stay passionate, and be kind to others, emphasizing that success looks different for everyone.