Who better than Serena Williams to help other athletes through their physical recovery?
Forbes reports Williams will be joining Eric Ryan and Hank Mercier to launch Will Perform.
The company was supported by an $8 million funding round led by Erik Moore’s Base Ventures, the outlet also reports. The new venture will be useful for creating products such as topical pain relief and muscle and skin care products for physical recovery.
“My trainer said, ‘He who recovers best is the one who wins,’” Williams said, according to Forbes. “We all as athletes are putting our body on the line every single day. It’s so important to be able to recover.”
The tennis star felt her latest venture was timely because in all her years of playing on the field, there seemed to never be the right product to relieve her soreness. Now, she is betting on herself to find the solutions she wishes existed during her time.
“In recent years, especially toward the end of my career, I started to think more about recovery and also the role that it’s played in my career,” Williams explained, according to Forbes. “I want to provide things that people really need, and things that I can actually use that are very authentic to me.”
Although the Will Perform founders recognize the market for topical pain relief brands resonates most with men, they also recognize it’s more heavily consumed among women and younger audiences. They are looking to disrupt these patterns by expanding their consumer reach.
“We saw that as the opportunity to really try and grow the creative brand that would connect to that audience,” Ryan told Forbes. “But we have to do it in a way that doesn’t alienate men.”
Williams is entering into a lucrative industry, that is projected to earn $12.21 billion by 2027, according to a report published by Allied Market Research.
Will Perform will begin selling to consumers on its website and at local Target stores on Dec. 18.
