The Fund Finance Association is thrilled to announce Serena Williams as the keynote speaker for the 15th Annual Global Fund Finance Symposium! The Fund Finance Association’s annual symposiums bring together investors, fund managers, bankers, service providers and lawyers for education and networking within the fund finance market.
Serena Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam Tennis Champion, Entrepreneur, and Founder of Serena Ventures, the longest-ranked #1, she has won 23 career Grand Slams, making her the most successful female player of the Open Era and the prized WTA player of all time. Her success extends beyond tennis to venture capital, film, television, and fashion. Her athletic prowess combined with her off-court presence makes her one of the most recognizable names and faces in the world.
Serena has won titles in all four Grand Slam tournaments. She has won 73 singles championships, 23 doubles championships, and was a gold medalist at the 2000 (doubles), 2008 (doubles), and 2012 (singles and doubles) Olympics. In 2015, Serena won four Grand Slams: Wimbledon, The French Open, The Australian Open, and The 2014 US Open, a feat affectionately known as the “Serena Slam”. Sports Illustrated named Serena their “2015 Sportsperson of The Year”. In 2017, Serena clinched her 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
Off the court, Serena has become a respected entrepreneur, investor, and fashion designer. She served as executive producer for the critically acclaimed 2021 film “King Richard” and the soccer documentary “COPA 71”, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and was later acquired by Greenwich Entertainment.
In July, ESPN premiered the first episode of IN THE ARENA: SERENA WILLIAMS, an 8-episode docuseries chronicling her legendary career. Each episode explores the pivotal moments in Serena’s life on and off the court, illustrating the steps that show the incredible distance traveled throughout her career. This premiere was followed by ABC’s broadcast of the 2024 ESPYS, hosted by Serena.
Serena graced the cover of Fast Company’s Most Productive People issue in 2020 and Forbes ‘Self Made Millionaire’ annual issue in 2019. In 2017, she established her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, focusing on investing in women and founders of color. In November 2023, Serena received the prestigious Fashion Icon honor at the 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards.
In the entertainment space, Serena announced a first look film and television deal with Amazon Studios in 2021. She previously released the Emmy-nominated HBO docuseries “Being Serena” in 2018.
August 2022 marked Serena’s final matches at the U.S. Open as she announced her evolution away from tennis. She has since focused on new opportunities including publishing her children’s book, ”The Adventures of Qai Qai”. In December of 2022 Williams announced that she had teamed up with two CPG veterans to launch Will Perform, a line of clean, cruelty-free topical pain relief and daily muscle care solutions designed to reimagine recovery.