Reddit Boss Alexis Ohanian Bags 10% of Chelsea Women – And He's Eyeing More Footy Gold
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has invested $26.5m for a 10% stake in Chelsea Women, following the huge sale of his NWSL side Angel City FC. He's expanding into golf, volleyball, and track, viewing women's sports as prime business opportunities rather than charity. In a candid SI Soccer interview, he slams outdated attitudes and credits capitalism for the boom.
Reddit Founder Turns Pitch Investor: Ohanian's Women's Sports Revolution
Picture this: a bloke who built Reddit from scratch at 22 dives headfirst into women's football. That's Alexis Ohanian, husband to tennis legend Serena Williams, and he's not here for nostalgia or high school glory days. Nah, he's chasing billion-pound empires in the beautiful game and beyond, as reported by SI Soccer.
Ohanian's no armchair fan. He co-founded Angel City FC in the NWSL, flogging it four years later to Disney's Bob Iger and his missus for a whopping $250 million valuation. Now he's sunk $26.5 million into a 10% stake in Chelsea Women last May, proving women's footy ain't no side hustle.
Spreading the Bets: Golf, Volleyball, and Track Too
He's not stopping at football. Ohanian owns Los Angeles Golf Club, pioneers in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's flashy TGL simulator league. Then there's Athlos, his all-women's track meet, and come October, a new L.A. franchise in the expanded League One Volleyball.
It's pure entrepreneur vibes. 'It's math,' he says, spotting undervalued gems where others see charity cases. From rage-tweeting in 2019 about women's pro sports being slept on, to teaming up with ex-Angel City marketer Kayla Green for LA Golf Club – this lad's building frameworks for the future.
Straight Talk: Charity? Nah, Capitalism Rules
Chatting with SI Soccer, Ohanian spills the beans on why he jumped in. Emerging leagues? Business goldmines where digital natives gobble clips, not telly marathons. 'Fight cat videos and AI slop on the freest market,' he grins – outsider edge from a NFL-only upbringing.
Women's sports as 'charity'? That boiled his piss. At his first NWSL governors' meet, owners admitted it was for their daughters. 'Sell up if you're not building billion-dollar beasts,' he fires back. With Serena living proof women's sports can eclipse the lads, capitalism's dropping the mic – no sob stories needed.
Serena tried talking him out of it, citing the industry's warts. Smart move, says Ohanian: experts' scepticism fuels him. Now she's in VC herself, but he keeps it 'church and state' – no unsolicited CEO tips for the missus.
As Chelsea Women chase glory under Emma Hayes' old guard, Ohanian's stake signals big shifts. Women's Super League valuations soaring, media deals beckoning – could this be the tipping point? He's betting big, and with his track record, don't bet against him.
Word on the street? More L.A. franchises and track events incoming. Ohanian's turning sports into the next Reddit: addictive, undervalued, and minted for the clip-hungry Gen Z punter. Grab your pint – the revolution's just warming up.