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WE PLAN, WE PLAY
WE WIN
We do VC differently through standout strategies, bold initiatives, and a global network of investors, business leaders, and influencers.
SERENA WILLIAMS
MANAGING PARTNER
As a world-class athlete, businesswoman, philanthropist and mother, Serena Williams knows what it takes to win. She has persevered to become one of the top tennis players in history with 23 Grand Slam titles. Serena brings invaluable mentorship, industry insights, and a powerful brand that opens doors for her portfolio companies. She coaches founders on how to have a winning mindset, giving them the tools to lead and scale effectively.
Serena has been actively investing for over a decade, and now has 14 unicorns in her personal portfolio. Through these experiences, she saw the impact that startups had on everyday lives; in building Serena Ventures, she has been able to multiply that effort.
Serena’s business acumen extends beyond investing—she has built a successful portfolio that includes partnerships with household names like Gatorade, Walmart, and Chase. She has also successfully founded several brands such as Wyn Beauty, giving her firsthand experience in what it takes to scale a company.
Beth Ferriera is the General Partner at Serena Ventures, overseeing portfolio management and sourcing new investments. Beth has served as an advisor for the firm since its inception, and she recently joined the team full time in May of 2024. With her extensive background in operating and venture capital, our founders always count on her for advice and strategic feedback.
Beth comes to SV from Firstmark Capital, where she worked as Partner and Managing Director at the firm for 7 years, investing in companies. She also founded and was Managing Partner at WME Ventures, the venture capital arm of the talent agency WME IMG, where she invested in innovative companies such as Glossier, Daily Harvest, Warby Parker, Within (acq. by Meta) and Masterclass.
Highlights of her extensive operating experience include Chief Operating Officer at Fab, where she led the strategic development and expansion of the company’s global operations, supply chain and customer service infrastructure. As an early senior executive at Etsy, Beth led Finance & Operations and played a pivotal role in transforming the company into a lifestyle brand and profitable global e-commerce platform.
BETH FERRIERA
GENERAL PARTNER
OUR TEAM
DE’HAVIA STEWART
INVESTOR
De’Havia Stewart is an investor at Serena Ventures, where she is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing deals. She has interest in early stage investing across Embedded Finance, Digital Health, and B2B SaaS.
De’Havia brings 3 years of early stage investing experience, in which she helped deploy $100M+ in capital. Aside from day-to-day work, De’Havia volunteers in leadership positions with non-profits focused on decreasing the funding gap such as BLCK VC and HBCUvc.
De’Havia began her career in consulting at Accenture Strategy, where she gained project experience within M&A, Operating Model Strategy, and Digital Strategy.
PARIS KOKA
INVESTOR
As an investor at Serena Ventures, Paris primarily handles deal sourcing, market research, due diligence, and assisting with portfolio management. She also oversees the firms' marketing and digital strategy.
Paris has been with the SV team for 2 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Claremont McKenna College ('21), and has prior experience in finance, research, and sourcing deals.
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KYRA MCCARTY
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Kyra is the Operations Manager for Serena Ventures where she oversees the daily operations for the team, including assisting the Human Resources and Financial departments of the firm. She helps manage fund operations, alongside the fund administrators, auditors, and investment team. She comes to Serena Ventures from Equitable Advisors, where she worked as an Investment Operations Specialist.
Kyra has been with the SV team for 4 years. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and Bachelor of Science in Math from Southern Methodist University.
OLIVIA GRIFFIAN
CHIEF OF STAFF TO SERENA WILLIAMS
Prior to joining Serena Ventures, Olivia launched her first startup, SevenSkin Beauty. Her success led her to venture capital, where she uses her experience to bridge the gap in the founder and investor relationship.
Her interests include women’s health, qualitative analysis, and infrastructure. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida.
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ANYA BUTTON
INVESTMENT SUPPORT
Anya is part of the investment team, conducting due diligence, sourcing deals, and presenting materials to the Investment Committee for decision-making.
Previously, Anya interned as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Goldman Sachs in their Financial Institutions Group and at Bank of America in their Mergers & Acquisitions group. Anya is a senior at Duke University.
OUR STORY
Through a champion mindset and unparalleled network, we empower founders to change the world. Since 2014, Serena Ventures has advocated for founders who exemplify innovation, while promoting the emergence of companies from women and people of color.
We believe that investors should be catalysts for change, which is why we invest in products and ideas that unlock doors for founders and adds value for investors, creating opportunities for an enhanced way of living for us all.
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