Bumble and Serena Williams Invest in Two New Companies

Bumble and Serena Williams have continued to collaborate in the months following their viral Super Bowl advertisement, this week announcing investments in two new female-led companies.

Serena Ventures and the Bumble Fund will back Nude Barre and Virtue Health, businesses led by entrepreneurs Erin Carpenter and Arfa Rehman respectively.

Nude Barre offers nude-colour underwear and hosiery in twelve different shades, serving women of all skin tones. Carpenter founded the brand with performers in mind, as she was often required to find skin-matched undergarments during her dancing career.

Virtue Health is a digital health company focusing on longevity. One of their first products is an AI assistant named Eva, which “helps women manage the effects of perimenopause and menopause through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.”

Williams said: “Too many female entrepreneurs have grown accustomed to being silenced or hearing the word no.

“By amplifying these voices as opposed to ignoring them, we are signifying to an entire generation of underrepresented women that their ideas should know no bounds.

“I am honored to be a part of Erin and Arfa’s journeys – as I want them, as well as all others alike, to know that when it seems as if no one else will listen, we will.”

The Bumble Fund launched in autumn 2018, aiming to support companies made by women, for women. Whitney Wolfe Herd’s platform will make investments for an initial 18 months, before reviewing the initiative.

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