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Through her venture firm Serena Ventures, Serena Williams has invested in WILE. The vegan hormonal wellness brand caters to women over the age of 40.
The women-founded company offers herbal and plant-based formulas in the form of supplements, tinctures, and drinks. The brand claims its products help to manage stress, anxiety, night sweats, and hot flushes.
All of the brand’s products were formulated in collaboration with naturopathic doctors and research scientists.
According to WILE, the medical field overlooks women’s health. In fact, the average OB-GYN doctor only studies menopause for four hours in medical school. But menopause isn’t just neglected in the medical world, it’s also overlooked in the general wellness industry. Williams says this is “astonishing.”
“The market and medicine have ignored 50 percent of the population in the prime of their lives and frankly, their earning power,” the tennis champion, who is the managing partner at Serena Ventures, said in a statement.
“It’s rare to see an area of opportunity this vast, this underserved, and this obvious,” she continued. “As an investor, we see this as a chance to support change in the culture with products women simply need.”
Serena Williams’ vegan investments
Williams is passionate about backing game-changing products. In 2017, she invested in frozen plant-based food subscription company Daily Harvest alongside actor and Goop-founder Gwyneth Paltrow.
At the time, Daily Harvest’s CEO Rachel Drori said: “Serena and Gwyneth immediately understood our mission to provide convenient foods without nutritional compromise. Their passion for what we are building will make them instrumental members of our investment team.”
Alongside several other high-profile figures, including Bill Gates and Katy Perry, Williams is also an investor in Impossible Foods, a plant-based meat brand on a mission to transform the food system.
According to WILE’s co-founder Gwen Floyd, Williams’ investment will make a significant difference to the company, and help it expand on its mission to help women around the world.
She said in a statement: “This investment makes it possible for us to break through the silence and get her what she needs and wants, where she wants it.”
WILE’s products will be launching in Whole Foods Markets this month.
