Serena Williams and Kerry Washington are sharing their insight on equity and ownership for free.99.
According to Essence, the two have partnered with Carta, an ownership and equity management platform, for its campaign — Equity 101.
The launch includes ten fintech lessons focused on equity and investing, as well as videos from Williams, Washington, Alex Rodriguez, Ashley Graham, Tan France, and Steve Nash, in which they “help debunk major concepts that have stood in the way of achieving financial freedom.” Each of the celebrities involved in the campaign own equity as investors or venture capitalists.
As previously reported by AfroTech, Williams founded her VC firm Serena Ventures in 2014 to provide opportunities to women and underrepresented founders and it has since gone on to invest in 43 companies, 25 marked as “diversity investments.”
AfroTech has also reported on Washington continuously having her hands in the startup world including her investments in brands such as Aurate, The Wing, Community, and Byte.
Serena Williams On The Power Of Financial Literacy
“I was never taught about financial literacy. It was up to me to take charge of my own financial health and independence as an adult, which isn’t easy,” said Williams, according to Essence. “I know there are others like me, learning about this later in life and it can be daunting at first. But programs like Carta’s Equity 101 give people an easy way to start to learn – we all have to start somewhere! It’s now been years into my journey towards financial independence and freedom, and only recently have I come to appreciate how impactful equity can be. Equity is empowerment.”
Kerry Washington Speaks About Becoming An Investor
“When I was a kid, I never thought, ‘I want to be an investor,’ said Washington. “So, when I first started discussing investment options, I didn’t have a great understanding of how to approach these opportunities. There wasn’t a guide or curriculum like Carta’s Equity 101 available for me to refer to. Even though I’ve learned so much through experience, a course like this could have made things far less complicated. Being an investor is not dissimilar to being a producer. As a producer, you’re so much more involved in a production – it’s the difference between being invited to a party vs. throwing it.”