“I always advise you to be authentic because when the going gets tough, when the down times come, what are you going to do?"  - Serena Williams at Expert XP 2022 

Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time, spoke on the closing day of Expert XP 2022, an investment convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Williams is not just a highly skilled tennis player but also an avid investor. When she started Serena Ventures, her venture capital company, Williams said she took time to study before deciding how and what to invest in. Instead of going for large corporations and established companies, she decided on impact investing, prioritizing inclusion and diversity.

Serena Williams spoke about authenticity as a very important quality, especially during tough times. She also believes that an idea or product that solves an existing problem has a better chance of succeeding.

"I’ve found that most founders want to solve a problem that surrounds them, and that works much better. So I always advise you to be authentic because when the going gets tough, when the down times come, what are you going to do? And this is inevitable. When you are building a company, at some point it will fall and you have to build it again, but you have to fight," Williams said.

"Resilience is a daily exercise. It's something you build with small things, daily," she added.

"We are doing what we preach in our company, which is impact investing" - Serena Williams

During her speech at Expert XP 2022, Serena Williams also emphasized the importance of investing in companies that have an impact on people's lives.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion attributed her company's success to impact investing. Impact investments are investments made with the intention of generating positive, measurable, social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.

"We are doing what we preach in our company, which is impact investing. I'm looking at companies everywhere," Williams said.

Williams proudly stated that the majority of her company's portfolio consists of women and people of color. She believes that people are more comfortable around women because they feel they have a "chance to be seen and heard."

"Because of who we are, because we are women, naturally others come to us, they feel more and more comfortable talking to us, they feel they have a chance, a chance to be heard and seen," she added.