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Serena Williams may have stepped away from professional tennis, but her influence is as powerful as ever. In fact, this year she earned a place on Time magazine’s prestigious list of the 100 most influential people in the world, a fitting honor for someone who’s shaped more than just the world of sports.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion is featured in the “Titans” category of Time‘s list, joining a lineup that includes Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, actress Blake Lively, Italian fashion icon and entrepreneur Miuccia Prada, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and other global power players.
“People notice women’s sports more, and it’s great. I just can’t imagine all the stuff that everyone missed out before,” Serena told Time. One of those arenas is women’s basketball. Serena recently joined the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s first Canadian team, which will make its debut in 2026. She’s spoken openly about how deeply she’s fallen in love with the sport, and her investment is more than financial—it’s personal.
Beyond that, she’s juggling life as a mom to two young daughters, Olympia and Adira, while running a thriving venture capital firm. Serena Ventures has raised more than $100 million in outside capital since 2021 and invested in over 30 companies, many of which are founded by women and people of color. Serena’s also personally invested in over 85 start-ups, with 14 reaching unicorn status (valued at $1 billion or more).
And she’s not just making waves in the boardroom. At this year’s Super Bowl, Serena appeared on the field as a dancer during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, proving she’s still very much part of the cultural conversation.
