The power couple has gone all in on crypto and NFTs, curating envious personal collections while investing heavily in the blockchain.
By any measure, Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian are the definition of couple goals.
While independently, each spouse has a résumé that places them among the GOATs in their respective fields, collectively they have begun to build a major collection of investments that crowns them as the first couple of the blockchain.
As Williams heads slowly toward the twilight of her career, she has begun to sure up her legacy for her second chapter. Serena Ventures has assembled a portfolio of over 30 diverse companies that span multiple industries, from fashion to crypto.
The Reddit co-founder Ohanian also cited the rise of Web3 before the nomenclature even existed. He was an early investor in Coinbase and foresees a future in which there would be a “new internet on top of this infrastructure.” While Ohanian’s predictions were once bold, recent moves in the metaverse shed light on what he began to speak of several years ago.
And their cumulative investments demonstrate their commitment to the growth and development of crypto adoption and blockchain expansion.
Here’s what you need to know about the superstar duo’s crypto capital.
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All In on Defi
The world of defi has a handful of evangelists, but few are more prolific than Ohanian. He is so committed to the cause that he stepped back from his day-to-day responsibilities at Reddit in 2018 to focus on the blockchain through his venture capital and holdings companies. And by all accounts, Williams is all in as well.
Ohanian is on record as a major supporter of cryptocurrency, but through the years, he’s thrown his support toward a number of different coins.
- Bitcoin, which he credits with sustaining “battle-testing” through the years and maintaining a robustness in the face of swings
- Ethereum, in which Ohanian is on record as saying that he has “a lot” of his wealth, though the exact number is unknown
- Solana. While neither Williams nor Ohanian is on the record about their Solana holdings, they are invested in the technologies that surround the Solana ecosystem — more on that in just a minute.
In an interview, Ohanian noted that even amid volatile swings, there is a long-term potential value for cryptocurrencies, though he cautions that some are fraudulent. Regardless, he cites cryptocurrency as a “changing sign of the times…the blockchain is enabling things like Bitcoin to work and to scale.”
NFT Collectors
Williams and Ohanian made a splash on the red carpet at the 2021 Met Gala ball when Ohanian wore a representation of his wife’s Cryptopunk NFT on his lapel. The Cryptopunk was inspired by the GOAT and is reported to have run Ohanian $280,000, but proved to be a worthy accessory to honor his date.
While it may be one of the most intimate items among his holdings, Ohanian has assembled an all-star collection of NFTs.
Through the years, he’s built an expansive collection filled with marquee items such as the Cryptopunk and several Bored Apes, including #5797, which he recently purchased for Serena.
And more than the collectibles themselves, Ohanian is all in on the Bored Ape community. In an interview on the “Modern Finance” podcast, he said that when he picked up his first Apes, soon after their launch, he reached out to the founders asking how he might help. When their response was as simple as “enjoy your Apes,” he felt like he had found something special.
He cites the supportive nature of the community and the way that it has brought back nostalgia of the earliest days of Reddit when people supported the unknown company based exclusively on the connection that it brought them.
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Investing in the Infrastructure
The power couple’s interest in the blockchain is more than simply speculative. Both Ohanian and Williams have invested time and money in the foundational companies that serve as the backbone of the crypto and NFT ecosystems.
Ohanian discussed his early investment in Coinbase as a demonstration of his belief in the long-term rise of the role of the blockchain in the global economy. Combined, the two — along with their holdings and venture capital companies — have invested in multiple aspects of the ecosystem, including:
- Bitski, an NFT marketplace that aims to streamline the process of creating, selling, and buying digital goods
- Islands, a resource to streamline the experience of owning NFTs
- Lolli, a crypto cash-back rewards program
- QuickNode, an end-to-end Solana support outfit
- Solana Venture‘s efforts to grow decentralized social media
For her part, Williams’ Serena Ventures was also an early investor in Coinbase, but seems to have divested. However, in addition to Bitski, they are also invested in CoinTracker.
As both an avid sports memorabilia collector and proud champion of women’s sports, Ohanian has cited the critical importance that he sees for NFTs in the growth of women’s sports. The proud #girldad tweeted, “I’ve invested big in women’s sports, but the rise of NFTs…is going to be huge for women’s sports…as the tools get better and the market gets more efficient and liquid, women-as-investors in these assets will change the game.”
Now, Williams will be a driving force in the move toward change. Sorare, the French fantasy soccer NFT platform, recently appointed Serena to its board of directors, where she will help promote diversity and inclusion efforts.
For the Williams-Ohanian family, interests and investments go hand-in-hand on the blockchain. And they’re building toward the future.
