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

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:

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"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."

Serena Williams

@serenawilliams

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 3x3 Unrivaled Basketball League in place, they can do so while staying in the US only.

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Krutik Jain

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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