Apart from being among the most popular people in sports, Serena Williams and Usain Bolt are rarely mentioned together in the same sentence. This is because they play in different sports. They also have busy schedules due to their sports engagements and/or endorsement deals. But the two recently made news together due to a financial decision they made.
Serena Williams, Usain Bolt help raise seed funding for Let’s Do This
Williams and Bolt have been revealed to be among investors who participated in the initial funding efforts of emerging sports startup Let’s Do This. The two star athletes were confirmed to be a part of the $5 million seed funding phase that the company announced in September. Apart from Williams and Bolt, long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe also invested in that particular round of the company’s fund-raising.
As a means to expand its operations, Let’s Do This just announced it achieved $15 million for its Series A funding round. It seems that a big part of the funding will be used to expand its offices and teams in London and San Francisco.
For her part, Williams said that she invested in Let’s Do This because she wants to create more avenues for people to be more fit. Bolt, meanwhile, thinks that the company is a “natural fit” for him as we want to encourage more people to be more physically active.
Founded two years ago, Let’s Do This is an online listing of endurance events from different parts of the world. University of Cambridge graduates Sam Browne and Alex Ross established the company.
Through the platform, the organizers of these endurance activities will be able to reach potential participants and endurance sports enthusiasts. The endurance sports that can be listed in the marketplace range from cycling to triathlon to obstacle events.
Williams and Bolt’s cordial relationship
It seems that Bolt and Williams have a friendly attitude towards each other. In 2014, they were sat together during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat.
Williams and Bolt were also among the stars in Gatorade’s marketing materials for the 2016 Olympics. In the inspirational spots, they were shown being motivated by their “younger” selves.
Williams’ becomes a hotshot investor
In recent years, Williams has earned a reputation for becoming a huge supporter of young entrepreneurs and startup culture. In 2014, she founded the firm Serena Ventures. The company’s mission is to help fund startups powered by people of color, women, and young entrepreneurs.
She also has a healthy relationship with dating app Bumble as she is an investor in its Bumble Fund. She is also part of the corporate boards of SurveyMonkey and Poshmark.
Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.10, Serena played her last match on the 7th of September when she was defeated by Bianca Vanessa Andreescu 6-3 7-5 in the final in U.S. Open.
Serena Williams’s best performance of the current year was getting to the final in at the U.S. Open, Toronto and in Wimbledon.
