The world has watched Serena Williams and Lewis Hamilton both dominate in their respective careers as pro athletes. Now, the two are joining forces to lead in a new sport.
Forbes reports that the sports stars have joined a U.K. bid to buy Chelsea Football Club — one of the most successful football clubs in England — from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Fellow investors include Alejandro Santo Domingo, John Arnold, the Tsai family of Taiwan, and Canada’s Rogers family.
The Global Bid
The bid is led by former British Airways and Liverpool FC chairman Sir Martin Broughton. In the fight for Chelsea, there are two other bids on the table that are backed by investors Todd Boehly, who owns part of the LA Dodgers, and Steve Pagliuca, who co-owns the Boston Celtics, according to the outlet.
Depending on whether Broughton wins in the bidding war, both Williams and Hamilton plan to invest around £10 million ($13.1 million).
From the look of it, it will be £2.5 billion ($3.27 billion) to secure Chelsea Football Club.
Williams And Hamilton's Investments
Williams and Hamilton are no strangers when it comes to making daring investments.
As previously reported by AfroTech, Williams founded her VC firm Serena Ventures in 2014 to help fund women and underrepresented founders.
“I launched Serena Ventures with the mission of giving opportunities to founders across an array of industries,” Williams said via Instagram in 2019. “Serena Ventures invests in companies that embrace diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity and opportunity.”
Since its launch, Williams has invested in over 40 companies. Along with her tech investments, the tennis champion is also a co-owner of the Los Angeles-based women’s soccer team Angel City.
Then, there’s Hamilton, who has had his hand in investments in companies like Zapp, NotCo, and Bowery Farming.
The outlet shares that he will be “likely to play a formal role in Chelsea’s future efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion if the bid is successful.”
