Tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams have invested in European social and community-based investment app Shares and been appointed as the company's first brand ambassadors.
Shares is a one-stop platform for any investor to make trades, better manage their portfolio, and discuss opportunities with friends and family. The company has garnered over 150,000 users and became the second most downloaded app in the ‘Finance’ category on the App Store and the sixth most downloaded app in the UK since the launch in May 2022.
The Williams' sisters interest in the company comes shortly after Shares closed on a $40 million funding round led by Peter Thiel's Valar Fund.
Serena Williams, who has retired from international tennis after winning a record 23 Grand Slam singles titles, has become an active investor in early stage startups. In July last year she joined a $10 million investment round in Esusu, a fintech startup that helps renters build their credit score.
Speaking about her investment in Shares, Williams says: "It is rare to find companies that are equally as passionate about opening up opportunities and breaking barriers to entry that have prevented traditional spaces like investment from being totally inclusive."
Shares' user profiles bear this out: 66% of subscribers are below the age of 25, and over a third are women.
"Gen Z have a curious way of looking at the world and through the amplification of social media, have been much more open about educating themselves and sharing that information," says Williams. "I believe everyone, and especially women, should have the tools and access to information to take control of their finances; Shares is a platform that encourages the conversations we should all be part of.”