Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian said his wife, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, had initially tried to talk him out of investing in women's soccer due to what she saw as a lack of infrastructure in women's sports.
Ohanian acquired a 10% stake in Women's Super League (WSL) champions Chelsea last week. His investment of £20 million ($26.89 million) values the London-based club at about £200m
Ohanian was also the largest shareholder in NWSL side Angel City, which he helped launch to great fanfare in 2020, before it was sold for $250m in 2024.
"Serena actually tried to talk me out of it [starting a women's soccer team in U.S.], because I think she had been so exposed to the infrastructure around women's sports," Ohanian told CNN on Thursday.
"Because of her lived experience ... Because she had to kick down a lot of doors."
Ohanian said there was huge growth potential for Chelsea, who completed a treble of domestic trophies last week following their sixth straight WSL title.
"I think a lot of well-intentioned people historically have supported women's sports in a way that ... Actually held it back because it was viewed too much as charity. They led with things like, 'Oh, I'm doing this because I have a daughter,'" he added.
"I'm glad the discourse has now shifted ... but there's still so much more work to be done, and I really believe that this club could and should be the first billion dollar club in women's sports."