Alexis Ohanian began his influential journey into women’s sports around 2019, notably leading investment in Angel City FC. His commitment intensified on May 15, 2025, when he acquired a significant stake in Chelsea FC Women and joined their board to boost global recognition. His dedication shone as he witnessed Chelsea’s dominant 3-0 FA Cup final victory over Manchester United, with Sandy Baltimore scoring twice and Catarina Macario sealing their historic domestic treble under Sonia Bompastor’s guidance. Witnessing this triumph, the question arises: when ambitions face hurdles, what’s the winning play?
Just hours after the win on Sunday, Ohanian took to Instagram to share his pride and joy. He posted a heartfelt message: “ A day our family will never forget. Thank you, @chelseafcw – congrats on the treble – and so begins this Unapologetically Ambitious era!! .” The post included images of Alexis, tennis icon Serena Williams, and their daughter Olympia holding a Chelsea jersey with “Alexis” and the number 25.
However, after Manchester United’s coach Marc Skinner gave a challenging statement in his press conference, Ohanian was not pleased. Skinner said it was “easy” to show up for the final and added, “Let’s see if they come over in the season.” On May 19, Ohanian reposted the screenshot of the NY Times article on his Instagram Story, writing, “Challenge accepted ” and added, “Some folks clearly don’t know me.” A power move indeed.
For the unversed, Alexis Ohanian’s investment in Chelsea Women is the latest in his growing portfolio in women’s sports. It started after the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France when he met Victoire Cogevina and Matias Castello, co-founders of Gloria, a social media app helping athletes in remote areas get scouted. In 2020, Ohanian’s firm, Initialized Capital, backed the app.
Ohanian was instantly hooked by Chelsea Women’s massive social media presence, confident he can take it even further. The club flaunts four million Instagram followers-twice as many as Manchester United-and over 800,000 fans on TikTok. In 2024 alone, their TikTok videos racked up a staggering 167 million views, the highest for any women’s club team across all sports. British media reports reveal Ohanian snapped up a 10% stake for around £20 million ($26.5 million).
But Ohanian’s involvement goes beyond money. “I’m just grateful to play a part now as a board member and minority owner and really make it America’s team,” he told Squawk Box. He emphasized being a hands-on minority investor. His wife Serena will also play an active role in the club’s development.
Not to mention, his sports investments extend beyond soccer. In 2024, he launched Athlos, a women-only track tournament in New York featuring elite athletes like Olympic champion Gabby Thomas and world-record holder Faith Kipyegon. The event offered over $600,000 in prize money.
Additionally, his tech company ‘Seven Seven Six’ has also invested in projects like USWNT forward Midge Purce’s docuseries The Offseason, the soccer video game Goals, and Tiger Woods’ TGL golf league. His commitment to women’s sports is clearly growing, with Serena Williams always cheering him on.
As his biggest inspiration, Serena cheers on Ohanian’s new move
On May 15, Alexis Ohanian announced his latest move on Instagram: “I’ve bet big on women’s sports before-as the founding control owner of @weareangelcity-and I’m doing it again. I’m proud to announce that I’m joining @chelseafcw as a minority owner and board member. I’m honored for the chance to help this iconic club become America’s favorite @barclayswsl team and much, much more.”
Serena Williams quickly shared his post on her IG stories with the caption, “ANOTHER ONE FOR @776FUND AND @ALEXISOHANIAN .” Since they started dating in 2015, Serena has been Alexis’s biggest cheerleader, just as he had been for her ventures on and off the tennis court.
In that same IG post, Alexis wrote, “These players are rewriting the game. Undefeated season. Eyes on the treble. But this isn’t just about winning titles. It’s about finally matching their talent with the resources, visibility, and respect they deserve. I’ve been right about this before and I couldn’t be more excited. And you know we got the entire family READY. Thank you to Aki Mandhar, our club President, and her team for this care package for the girls – her integrity and focus on a standard of excellence were a huge factor in why this was such a ‘Hell Yes’-type investment. Bio officially updated. See you all SUNDAY! Up the Chels!”
Alexis credited Serena as the driving force behind his big bets on women’s sports. He told CNBC, “Serena Williams is the prototype for how you can show women’s sports is and can be and should be on the same level as men’s.”
Now, with Alexis stepping up to help Chelsea FC chase even bigger wins- and with Serena by his side- he seems ready to shut down the critics. What do you think? Will this power duo take women’s sports to new heights? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
The post “Challenge Accepted”- Serena Williams’ Husband Dishes Out a Bold Message to Rival Coach Following Massive $27M Investment appeared first on EssentiallySports.