Kevin Ngalamulume’s Post

I’m sure you know Serena Williams, one of the world’s best tennis players. But did you know her net worth is 115x the prize money of a Grand Slam? Grand slam winners get paid $2.6 million. But Serena Williams who has won it 23 times (~$60 million) has a net worth of ~$300 million. This is why: Serena Williams' dominance on the tennis court is undeniable. But her legacy extends far beyond grand slams. Since 2014, she's been working with underrepresented founders via her venture capital fund. It's called Serena Ventures. Serena's passion for investing goes back further than you might think. She’s been investing for over 14 years. The reason? 📍 Witnessing the lack of funding for women and minorities fueled her desire to make a difference. She learned that less than 2% of VC money went to women, which made her mission to empower diverse founders. 📍 Serena Ventures boasts a portfolio reflecting her commitment. A staggering 79% of the founders are underrepresented, with 54% women, 47% black founders, and 11% Latino founders. 📍 The fund's success speaks volumes. Serena has invested in over 85 companies, including HUED and Parfait, both led by black women. But her vision extends beyond a single industry. She's also an investor in the edtech giant, MasterClass, which reached a valuation of $2.75 billion in 2021. Most impressive thing about her portfolio is that 14 of her investments are now unicorns! Of course, she’s not the only one, Lebron James and Shaquille O’Neal are other examples. But William’s focus on companies founded by people of color and women is a rare thing. You’d be wrong to think of her investment as mere financial backing. Serena provides crucial support for founders and help them scale to achieve their goals. Would you like an investor or mentor like Serena Williams to take interest in your business? #investment #funding #portfolio #business #founder

From Tennis Star to VC legend, Serena Williams has found herself a second career after retiring from Tennis. After crushing her competition at the courts, she needed something new to dominate after leaving the game that she loved. Thats when she began diverting her attention to venture capital. How It Started. The seeds for the start of her venture capital career were planted close to a decade before she even retired with the establishment of Serena Ventures, a venture capital fund that is designed to support and champion underrepresented founders. For Serena, it was always important to have a Plan B set up after she retired from Tennis (her Plan A), investing while she was still training and playing in tournaments. Just like Serena was able to find her own unique playing style, she was also able to discover her avenue of differentiation from other VCs. The tennis champion discovered an evident absence of venture capital directed toward certain underrepresented demographics such as woman founders, black founders, and Latino founders. Once she figured out the demographic she wanted to invest in, well, the rest is history. Present Day. Since starting her VC firm, Serena has invested in more than 85 companies. Some of her biggest winners so far include HUED, Parfait, Impossible Foods, Noom, Karat, and MasterClass. In total, Serena estimates that around 14 of her 85 investments have gone on to reach unicorn status, an important distinction very few companies are able to reach. With Serena’s investment, these companies will have the chance to expand their reach and accomplish more long-term goals with their startups. #venturecapital #serenawilliams

🔥 Serena Williams is completing side quests as a lethal VC 🔥 🎾 After an illustrious & decorated tennis career where she changed the way the game is played forever, Serena Williams has invested in quite an impressive portfolio of companies over a relatively short amount of time! 🚀 Motivated by the glaring lack of venture capital directed towards certain demographics, Williams embarked on a mission to effect change. 🗣️ In her own words, Williams has said she“...learned that less than 2 percent of all VC money went to women. And when I first heard that, I actually thought it was a misquote. I thought, ‘Well, they can’t be real.’ Like, we’re talking about trillions of dollars, and what do you mean less than 2 percent of that goes to women?…I also learned that even less went to people of color." 🦄 With over 85 companies in her investment portfolio, Williams has played a pivotal role in nurturing startups across various sectors. Notable investments include healthcare startup HUED and Parfait, an AI-powered platform for customizable wig products, both founded by Black women.   📈 Through disciplined focus & dedication to elevating marginalized entrepreneurs, Serena's portfolio boasts some pretty impressive stats the prove she puts her money where her mouth is: 79 percent of its founders being underrepresented, including 54 percent women, 47 percent Black, and 11 percent Latino. Not bad for a tennis player from Compton! 📷 Boardroom #Sports #sportsbiz #SerenaWilliams #Investing #Finance #VC #Unicorn

🌟 Black Investors Changing the VC Landscape Series: Part 35 - Ayana Parsons and Arian Simone, Fearless Fund 🚀 Introducing Ayana Parsons and Arian Simone, the dynamic duo behind Fearless Fund , reshaping the venture capital landscape by investing in women-of-color-led consumer and technology businesses. Notable Investments: Partake, Fresh Bellies , Bitsy's Investment Focus: Fearless Fund targets women-of-color-led businesses at the pre-seed to Series B stages, spanning both consumer and technology sectors. Why They're on the List: Ayana Parsons and Arian Simone's journey to founding Fearless Fund is a testament to resilience and determination. Simone's early career setbacks, including a period of homelessness, didn't deter her but fueled her entrepreneurial spirit. She went on to establish her own successful public relations and marketing firm, boasting clients like Sony Pictures Entertainment , Universal Pictures , and Disney pictures A2 Ajay . In 2019, Simone teamed up with Parsons, a seasoned executive with extensive experience in retail, consumer goods, and marketing, to launch Fearless Fund. Together, they are dedicated to providing capital and support to women of color entrepreneurs, empowering them to achieve their full potential. Fearless Fund's commitment to diversity and inclusion is not just a mission but a driving force behind their investments, making Ayana Parsons and Arian Simone true trailblazers in the world of venture capital. ✨Connect with Ayana Parsons and Arian Simone to learn more about Fearless Fund's mission and their vision for the future of entrepreneurship. Stay tuned for more inspiring profiles of Black investors leading the charge in our daily series! Share your thoughts and other impactful investors in the comments below. Oren Simanian Netsanet Meles Tam Sul #BlackInvestors #VentureCapital #DiversityInTech #startup #investor #Entrepreneurship #FearlessFund

Athletes used to be considered "dumb jocks"... Now, they're starting businesses, partnering with the world's biggest companies, and building generational wealth. It's wild to see how times have changed. Vetted Sports dropped 10 former athletes who have built multi-million dollar investment firms and some of their investments. Check them out below 👇 Feel free to list other athletes who are big investors in the comments! #sportsbusiness #sportsindustry #venturecapital #investing https://lnkd.in/dd67ZNaM

PART 2: TOTAL COMMITMENT: THE HIGH STAKES, EMOTIONAL RIDE OF FOUNDERS (From Startup Triumphs to Crushing Setbacks: A Journey of Loss, Resilience and Rediscovery) Bringing together skilled teams across Romania, the UK, and Australia at lightning speed was just the beginning. Our vision was to revolutionise rowing through technology, and we developed a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that we believed could do just that. Taking this MVP to investors was a pivotal moment, but it was also a high-stakes game. We were running on pure adrenaline—anything could change, and time was not on our side. We knew we had to raise the funds or risk putting all our hard work on ice. It was all about momentum. Every pitch, every meeting, felt like walking a tight rope. We were inching closer to the other side, but we knew that a single setback could derail everything we had worked for. The investors were intrigued but cautious. To prove the technology’s potential, they brought in top rowers to test it, giving us an objective assessment. When these athletes confirmed that our technology was indeed groundbreaking, it felt like a massive win—but we were still on that tightrope, still fighting against the clock. During this time, we had to dig deep. No obstacle could stop us. Negative feedback or uninformed opinions had to be processed quickly and pushed aside. Forward motion was the only way. We knew that even a moment of hesitation could break the momentum we so desperately needed. Meanwhile, Darren had been in contact with Liverpool Soccer Club in the UK. Their upper management was intrigued by the idea of leveraging our technology as an added product for their fans. This opened up a world of new possibilities, but it also raised the stakes even higher. We knew we were onto something truly transformative, and the pressure was on to prove it. The next step was to engage businesses and stakeholders through a series of roadshows, showcasing our vision and exploring partnerships that could take us to the next level. Every day was a balancing act, every decision critical. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. We were determined to keep moving forward, knowing that momentum was our only lifeline. If we thought this phase was fast and furious, it was just the warm-up. The next stage—securing investment funds, setting up legal structures, and expanding our team across continents—took us to an entirely new level of intensity. Stay tuned to see how we navigated the chaos of rapid expansion! #StartupJourney #FounderLife #AllIn #NoRoomForError #EntrepreneurMindset #HighStakes #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #Innovation #StartupStory #EmotionalJourney #BreakingBoundaries #VisionToReality #StartupChallenges #FoundersMindset

The rise of the athlete investor 🚀 The days of athlete’s throwing money into property and making it back through endorsements have gone. 2023 was a groundbreaking year for athlete investments, with a host of elite footballers, cricketers, American footballers, tennis players and F1 drivers investing in exciting, purpose-led start-ups within the sports, tech, media and entertainment industries. Here’s just a few high-profile names that put £ into VC funds in 2023: 🏎️ - Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Valterri Bottas ⚽️ - Christian Eriksen, Raphael Varane, Jan Vertonghen, Chris Smalling 🏏 - Ben Stokes, Joss Butler, Joffra Archer Not only do these investments create an alternative focus for the athlete and secure their financial futures beyond retirement, there are also huge brand-awareness and reputational benefits for the start-ups, particularly when it comes to attracting the next-gen audiences. Athletes bring with them a wealth of invaluable insight, helping with deal flow and market positioning. Looking forward to what lies ahead in athlete investment this year and continuing to explore the athlete-to-entrepreneur landscape with DRIFT. #athleteinvestor #startups #vcfund

In recent years through my 70+ BA investments, I have had the chance to meet a lot of ambitious entrepreneurs from the start of their ride. What struck me each time was the need to create a playbook that combines the requirements of scaling a startup and financial performance. With Kamel and Florent, we are proud to introduce Varsity, a new player in European VC « early stage » raising 150m€. At Varsity, we have two « North Stars »: - That of allowing entrepreneurs to build the best version of their venture possible. Like true coaches, we position ourselves alongside entrepreneurs, as allies and strategic partners to make them « All Stars ». - That of creating a new version of the management company. We impose on ourselves a level of demands and excellence identical to that which we ask of our entrepreneurs. We seek financial performance for our investors by committing allocated capital to high-impact companies with one ambition: To become the best seed platform for start-ups in Europe. In the shadows and in just a few months, we already achieved some major milestones : ✅ The creation of Varsity Capital and AMF approval in just 4 months 💪 ✅ A partnership with Infravia Partners ❤️ ✅ The successful marketing of Varsity I with the first closing in just 6 months! 🙏 to all our LPs: institutional, friends & family, FO, HNWI ✅ And already 5 startups in our portfolio : Sensinov, Kog, RockFi, Pharaday and the last one under embargo 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 And that’s just the beginning ! Kamel, Florent, Eloi & Vincent Vincent, Laëtitia & Bruno Mahdi, Gaël, Pierre & Thibault Bpifrance, GROUPE MACSF, Société Générale Assurances & BNP Paribas

One of my current startups, Game Gym, provides support and structure for talented video game players from sixth grade through twelfth. Learn more 👉 Link in comment #StartUpInvesting #VentureCapital #InvestorInterview #RealEstate