Serena Williams’ Husband, Alexis Ohanian, Is A Huge Advocate For Women's Sports
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
In 2023, Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian welcomed their second daughter and celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary, solidifying their status as #powercouplegoals into 2024.
But besides cheering on the tennis star since 2017, Alexis is Serena's biggest cheerleader off the court, too. “Alexis doesn’t dim my light. He doesn’t try to dim my light,” the four-time Olympic gold medalist told Allure in 2019. “He puts me in the light, even if I don’t want to be. He pushes me to further points I never thought about. It always was something that I could see in some relationships—my light would be dimmer. Now I feel like I can shine really bright and still do everything that I want to do.”
The 23-time Grand Slam singles winner also opened up about the impact her relationship with Alexis has had on her life in a 2021 interview with with PEOPLE. "I've been so focused on my career my whole life, but when I had a family and got married, I realized that there's so much more to life. And that was great," she told the publication.
Clearly, these two are a game, set, match made in heaven. Ahead, here's everything you need to know about Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian.
Who is Alexis Ohanian?
Alexis Ohanian, 40, is a technology entrepreneur and investor, according to his website. Specifically, he's an investor in startup companies, and boasts investing in more than 40 "Unicorns" (companies worth at least $1 billion).
Perhaps unsurprisigly, Alexis' resume is pretty impressive. Most recently, he co-founded initialized (which claims to have "$200 billion in created value," per the company's website), although left his role as Managing Partner in July 2020 to start a venture software firm called Seven Seven Six, according to Alexis' website.
He's originally from New York.
Alexis was born in Brooklyn, New York, but was raised outside of Baltimore, Maryland, per Business Inside. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Virginia.
Alexis is most well-known for co-founding Reddit.
Alexis met fellow co-founder Steve Huffman on his first day of college at the University of Virginia in 2005, per UVA Magazine. In 2006, they sold the online forum company for $10 million to Condé Nast. In June 2020, he resigned from the board of Reddit.
He also hosts a podcast.
After becoming a father, Alexis began his "Business Dad"podcast, where he talks to guests about balancing work and family life. With his podcast and public platform, Alexis said on his webiste that he's "fighting for Paid Family Leave for all American families and challenging a generation of dads to take paternity leave should they get the opportunity."
Alexis is a huge investor in women's professional sports.
In July 2020, Alexis became an investor in Angel City FC,a professional women's soccer club in Los Angeles, joining the majority female-led ownership group. Other investors include A-list celebs, namely Serena, Natalie Portman, Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner and Eva Longoria.
“Women’s soccer, in particular, I believed was tremendously under-resourced, under-marketed, undervalued, underappreciated, under-supported, the list goes on,” Alexis told Forbes in 2022. “I saw it first and foremost as a tremendous business opportunity. My north star here is quite simply that this is something that was so obviously good of an investment and I feel great all this other stuff has come from it.”
What is Alexis' net worth?
In 2019, Forbes estimated his net worth to be around $70 million.
How did he and Serena meet?
The couple first met at the Cavalieri Hotel in Rome in 2015 when they were seated next to each other at breakfast, per PEOPLE.
"This big guy comes and he just plops down at the table next to us, and I'm like, 'Huh! All these tables and he's sitting here?'" Serena told Vanity Fair in June 2017.
The couple got engaged in December 2016, and Serena made the announcement public on Reddit. “I came home. A little late. Someone had a bag packed for me. And a carriage waited. Destination: Rome,” she wrote. “To escort me to my very own ‘charming.’ Back to where our stars first collided. And now it was full circle. At the same table we first met by chance. But by choice. Down on knee. He said 4 words. And I said yes.”
When did they get married?
Serena and Alexis wed in November 2017 at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, according to PEOPLE. Their wedding was attended by a bevy of celebs, including Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, and Eva Longoria.
Alexis and Serena have two daughters together.
The couple's first daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., was born just 11 weeks before the couple tied the knot on Sept. 1, 2017. They welcomed their second daughter, Adira River Ohanian, in August 2023.
You Might Also Like
