Venus Williams is one of the greats.

While Venus and Serena Williams have made sports history on the tennis court, they’ve also made history beyond it. AfroTech previously reported the sisters were the first Black women to become minority investors in an NFL team after securing a stake in the Miami Dolphins.

When taking a look at the history of tennis, it’s an unarguable fact that Venus Williams is one of the trailblazers that paved the way. In the words of her fellow legendary sister, Serena Williams: “ I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus.” "I wouldn't be Serena if there wasn't Venus." Serena Williams shows love to her sister, Venus 💗 pic.twitter.com/3exRlhMAZZ — ESPN (@espn) September 3, 2022

Venus Williams has received backing from some heavy hitters for her plant-based superfood nutrition company. According to a press release, Happy Viking has raised $2 million in an investment round led by Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s 35V, Peloton Vice President of Fitness Programming Robin Arzón, professional golfer Michelle Wie West, soccer champion Megan Rapinoe, tennis star Reilly Opelka, and basketball stars Isaiah Hartenstein and Collin Sexton. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Happy Viking Superfood (@drinkhappyviking) Participating investors also included Mates, Talent Resources Ventures, Parallel, and Oliver Trevena. “Venus is an incredible entrepreneur, and in getting to know her and the team she’s put together behind Happy Viking, it was clear to Kevin Durant and I that the company has set itself up for success. No one understands the health and nutrition space like a professional athlete, and Happy Viking is proof in product...

Not even Serena Williams is safe from shady behavior from the media. In a tweet posted yesterday, the tennis GOAT revealed that the print version of The New York Times overshadowed her latest success by printing a photo of her sister, Venus, instead of herself. “No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it’s not enough,” she wrote via Twitter. “This is why I raised $111M for @serenaventures. To support the founders who are overlooked by engrained systems woefully unaware of their biases. Because even I am overlooked.” No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it's not enough. This is why I raised $111M for @serenaventures . To support the founders who are overlooked by engrained systems woefully unaware of their biases. Because even I am overlooked. You can do better, @nytimes . pic.twitter.com/hvfCl5WUoz — Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) March 2, 2022 The New York Times, like many other outlets, was announcing Serena Ventures’ inaugural fund. And while the paper’s...

Forbes has just released its list of the top-paid female athletes, and five out of the ten spots belong to Black female athletes. There were some athletes on the list that should be no surprise. Naomi Osaka and the Williams sisters, of course, would definitely be the top earners. But there were some new entries on the list, as well. And according to the outlet, it’s because for the first time, women in sports — and Black female athletes — are being taken seriously in their fields. “The world’s ten highest-paid female athletes earned a combined $167 million before taxes in 2021, according to Forbes estimates, a 23% increase over 2020 and a 16% jump from the prior record of $143.3 million set in 2013,” reports the outlet. “New money and new sponsors are pouring into women’s sports; it’s just that the dollars are being spread among more athletes and finding their way into new leagues.” That means it’s not just tennis stars like Osaka and the Williams sisters that stand to dominate the...

The hit film, “King Richard,” proved that Venus and Serena Williams owed more than a little bit of their success to their father. But, as it turns out, they got more than a little bit of help from the rest of their family, as well. First, the contributions of their mother, Oracene Price, cannot be overstated. In 2008, ESPN journalist Bonnie Ford noted that Price played just as much of a role as “King Richard” in cultivating success in Venus and Serena Williams, even if she preferred to be more in the background than her more extroverted husband. Photo Credit: Taylor Hill “Price is a self-made mother of five who was a teacher and a nurse before reinventing herself as a tennis mentor, so it’s not surprising that she would encourage her daughters to lay the foundation for the second act of their lives, even if it sometimes diverts their attention from forehands and backhands,” ESPN reported. “‘Besides,'” she said, looking out from under an impressive cloud of apricot curls, ‘you get...

Tennis superstar Venus Williams’ legacy has empowered women both on and off the court. According to a press release, Williams is teaming up with Blue Shield of California — a mission-driven nonprofit health plan — to spread awareness of healthcare bias. “For groups, including but not limited to, women, people of color, immigrants, and low-income populations, accessing and receiving the care they need and deserve can be challenging,” Jeff Robertson , senior vice president of consumer growth and chief marketing officer at Blue Shield of California, said in a press release . “We are proud to be working with tennis icon and activist Venus Williams in addressing the implicit biases and systemic inequities that persist in health care today.” Over the next year, through the collaborative campaign — “Hear Me” —  Williams will speak on “her auto-immune disorder Sjogren’s Syndrome, mental health, Black maternal health, and fitness and wellness,” the press release announced. “I am deeply...