Dealflow | March 3, 2022

Serena Ventures raises $111 million to back diverse founders building inclusive solutions

Roodgally Senatus
ImpactAlpha Editor

Roodgally Senatus

ImpactAlpha, March 3 — San Francisco-based Serena Ventures is looking to invest in founders “with diverse points of view” that are building inclusive solutions for financial inclusion, health equity and other challenges.

The early-stage venture firm of entrepreneur (and 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion) Serena Williams, Serena Ventures has built a portfolio of 60 angel investments, including 13 unicorns, and realized six exits (see, “Serena Williams, Agent of Impact”). “Launching a fund was the logical next step,” Williams tweeted.

Serena Ventures Fund I will “support the founders who are overlooked by engrained systems woefully unaware of their biases,” she says. Serena Ventures will invest from the pre-seed stage to Series A rounds.

Diverse portfolio

Serena Ventures says about three-quarters of its founders are people of color and women.

Portfolio companies include Mahmee, a woman-led maternal health startup for new mothers; HUED, a Black woman-led company that matches Black and Latinx patients with similar providers for culturally sensitive health care; and Black-led Esusu, which is helping low-to-middle income minority and immigrant renters in the U.S. save money and build credit.

Serena Ventures received commitments from Norwest, Liontree, Kapor Foundation and CapitalG, Alphabet’s independent growth fund.