Serena Williams is coming back to the world of sports – this time, as an investor.
The former tennis superstar announced this week that she will become the owner of a new WNBA franchise, the Toronto Tempo. The team will begin playing in summer 2026.
“I am thrilled to announce my ownership role in the first Canadian WNBA team, the Toronto Tempo,” Williams said in a statement to NBC News. “This moment is not just about basketball – it is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes.”
And the team is happy to have her on board. “Serena is a champion,” Tempo president Teresa Resch told the network. “She’s the greatest athlete of all time, and her impact on this team and this country is going to be incredible.”
Indeed, Williams’ contributions to the world of women’s sports cannot be overstated. Williams’ historic tennis career spanned nearly three decades, during which she won 23 Grand Slam single titles, four Olympic gold medals, and prize money totaling more than $94 million.
She joins fellow owner Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which also owns Toronto teams like the Maple Leafs of the NHL and the Raptors of the NBA.
This is far from Williams’ first foray into the world of investing. In fact, she has her own venture capital firm: Serena Ventures, which she founded in 2017. To date, 14 of the companies she’s backed have reached unicorn status, meaning each is valued at more than $1 billion. Almost 80% of the founders from the firm’s investment portfolio are underrepresented, the company says, and more than half are women.
This latest effort with the Toronto Tempo serves as an apt continuation of that work. Said Williams: “I have always said that women’s sports are an incredible investment opportunity.”
