World-famous tennis star Serena Williams kept her crypto investment quiet while building a fortune.
Unlike the relatively measured world of traditional stocks, cryptocurrency prices can fluctuate wildly. And some people who have had the patience to hold through the volatility have been rewarded remarkably.
The world's first Bitcoin billionaires held firm for over a decade as the coin's value climbed to extraordinary heights. Rapper 50 Cent stumbled upon a forgotten Bitcoin investment he had made for $455,000, only to discover it had transformed into a stunning fortune, while singer Lily Allen branded herself an 'idiot' after she turned down 200k Bitcoin in exchange for a performance.
Meanwhile in Wales, a man has given up his 10-year search for his Bitcoin hard drive that's now estimated to be worth around $8 billion.
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Serena Williams' 'secret' crypto investment
Celebrities dipping into crypto is nothing new, but few have done it as quietly as Serena Williams.
The tennis legend, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals, has revealed that she has been operating her own investment firm, Serena Ventures, for over 10 years.
According to Forbes, Serena made the list of America's Richest Self-Made Women in 2025. Since hanging up her tennis racket in 2022, she entered a licensing deal with Wyn Beauty cosmetics and launched a multimedia company to expand her career as a producer.
At the same time, Serena has been quietly building up her crypto investments.
In 2019, the now 44-year-old shared a post on Instagram, writing: “In 2014, (yes I know I can keep a secret) I launched Serena Ventures with the mission of giving opportunities to founders across an array of industries.
"Serena Ventures invests in companies that embrace diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity and opportunity.”
Over the past five years alone, the firm has quietly built a portfolio of more than 30 companies. Among them is crypto exchange Coinbase, which has raised $546.6 million in investments since its seed round in 2012, according to Crunchbase. Its most significant funding came in October 2018, when a $300 million Series E round valued the company at $8 billion, a figure that would likely have grown dramatically in the years that followed.
The firm has also backed a diverse range of other businesses including Masterclass, Mayvenn, Billie, Tonal, Lola, and Gobble, among others.
According to the Serena Ventures website, the combined market cap of its portfolio companies exceeds $12 billion, with 60% of the founders it has backed coming from diverse backgrounds. The company’s mission is reportedly to provide opportunities to underrepresented founders across various industries.