Serena Williams Join Icons Behind Andela

• Serena Williams Join Icons Behind Andela

Serena Williams, the 23-times Grand-Slam Champion, joined the number of global icons putting their weight behind Andela.

Andela, an African startup company specialised in training and outsourcing software developers, already has some powerful investors like Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and a former US vice president, Al Gore.

Now, Serena Williams in a post on Instagram admitted she is one of those behind the African startup.

The tennis icon founded Serena Ventures in 2014, however, kept the whole project away from media while secretly investing in startups based on four key values, diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity, and opportunity.

“In 2014, (yes I know I can keep a secret) I launched Serena Ventures with the mission of giving opportunities to founders across an array of industries. Serena Ventures invests in companies that embrace diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity and opportunity.”

Williams, in the post, said she has backed 30 different companies across e-commerce, fashion and social good.

Andela recently raised US$100 million from investors to expand its products and reach, therefore, taking its total investments to US$180 million.

Serena Ventures also backed Coinbase, a digital currency exchange platform, Masterclass, the online learning platform, and Wave, a remittance service that is presently available in five African countries.