June 27, 2025
Serena Williams will continue amplifying women-led startups in her new role at Reckitt.
Serena Williams has taken on a new role as a mentor, helping scale startups dedicated to hygiene, maternal care, and health equity.
Building on her track record of investing in underrepresented women-led startups, the 23-time Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist was recently named the first-ever entrepreneur-in-residence at Reckitt, the British consumer health company behind brands like Lysol, Durex, and Enfamil. In her new role, Williams will mentor and help grow startups in hygiene, maternal care, and health equity, fields that reflect her commitment to supporting underfunded sectors with high demand.
“Bold, innovative ideas can solve some of the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges if given the right support to thrive,” Williams told Fortune at Cannes Lions. “This includes mentorship, funding, and strong belief.”
Women-led startups receive less than 3% of global venture funding, despite studies showing that they often outperform male-led companies. This disparity drives Serena Ventures’ mission to back underfunded startups founded by women and people of color, a mission she explained in a TikTok post last year.
“Somewhere along the line, I learned that less than two percent of VC money went to women,” Williams said on TikTok.
“When I first heard that, I actually thought that was a misquote – I thought that can’t be real. When I first started investing, I learned that that was true, and that was actually something that was happening, and so I knew right then and there that one day I wanted to raise a fund or raise money and invest in women.”
Williams’ appointment at Reckitt aligns with the launch of Reckitt Catalyst, a £10 million initiative designed to support up to 200 underrepresented founders by 2030. The program aims to improve access to health and hygiene for five million people through scalable, community-driven solutions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
“We realized we had the same thesis, [which is] that when you invest in women, when you invest in overlooked markets, the returns are there,” she said. “It’s not charity. It’s smart business.”
The decorated tennis champion is aware of the gaps many women-led companies fill, especially when it comes to offering products and services with women and children in mind. Despite the growing need, these companies are often overlooked and underfunded, but Williams is looking to change that.
“Hygiene is routinely overlooked in venture,” she said. “It’s not flashy. But it’s foundational, especially for women, mothers, and children. These are essential markets that drive real impact and real returns.”
In her new role, Williams will provide mentorship and leverage her network to support Catalyst entrepreneurs, offering strategic guidance and connections to help them grow their impact and credibility.
“At the end of the day, the venture is about relationships,” she said. “A 30-minute conversation can unlock new partnerships or investment opportunities. I want to offer that access to founders who aren’t part of the usual power circles.”
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