Serena Williams — The Venture Capital Athlete

Serena Williams earned $94 million in prize money, the highest in women's tennis history, and then pivoted to venture capital with Serena Ventures, investing in over 80 companies like MasterClass, Impossible Foods, and Noom. The fund is valued north of $100 million, while her S by Serena fashion line and lifetime Nike deal push her total worth to $340 million. She proved a female athlete can build a post-career empire rivaling any male counterpart—outperforming #6's approach in post-sport diversification. Through her fight for equal prize money, she permanently altered tennis's financial landscape.