Earlier this year Andela announced raising a $100M Series D to continue investing in great engineers and building the infrastructure to power distributed work. As you may have recently heard, the round also included investment from Serena Ventures, a fund founded by 23-time tennis Grand Slam champion (and G.O.A.T.) Serena Williams.
Serena has quietly been investing in technology companies since 2014 and decided this was the year to make it #Instagramofficial. The firm is focused on investing in diverse companies and now provides mentorship and support to over 30 portfolio companies.
“It is so important for Serena Ventures to collaborate with companies that align with our mission of creating opportunities for everyone.” said Serena Williams, “Andela is an incredible organization that makes it possible for talent across Africa to pursue careers in tech and become leaders in their field. Furthermore, Andela empowers female engineers and I am proud to partner with a company committed to opening doors for women in a male-dominated industry.”
“As we build towards the distributed future of work, we are proud to have investors who also believe that while the digital revolution may have started in Silicon Valley, it’s future will be written in cities across Africa” says Jeremy Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Andela. “In Serena Ventures, we’ve found a values-aligned partner that also cares deeply about diversity, empowerment and opportunity, and we’re proud to be on this journey together.”
Alongside Andela, Serena Ventures portfolio includes Andela partner Gobble, as well as other industry disruptors such as startup CoinBase, African startup Wave and women’s co-working space The Wing, among others. Please join us in welcoming Serena Williams to the #TIA family!
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