{"id":14809,"date":"2025-08-29T01:12:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T01:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/29\/serena-williams-endorses-weight-loss-startup-ro-funded-by-her-husband\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T01:12:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T01:12:49","slug":"serena-williams-endorses-weight-loss-startup-ro-funded-by-her-husband","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/29\/serena-williams-endorses-weight-loss-startup-ro-funded-by-her-husband\/","title":{"rendered":"Serena Williams Endorses Weight Loss Startup Ro Funded by Her Husband"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Serena
Serena Williams is no stranger to brand deals. Courtesy Ro<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Serena Williams<\/a>, the tennis legend turned businesswoman, has taken on a new role as global ambassador for Ro<\/a>, the telehealth company best known for its weight loss treatments, including the increasingly popular GLP-1 injections.\u00a0The partnership marks a high-profile breakthrough for the booming weight loss sector\u2014and a family affair. Williams\u2019 husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian<\/a>, is an early investor in Ro and has served on the company\u2019s board since 2018.<\/p>\n

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In a recent Ro commercial, Williams, 43, revealed that Ro helped her shed 31 pounds after giving birth to her second child. \u201cThey say GLP-1s for weight loss is a shortcut. It\u2019s not, it\u2019s science,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trained at the highest level, ate a clean diet, pushed myself, and still, after having kids, my body just wouldn\u2019t respond,\u201d she said in a statement<\/a>. I realized it wasn\u2019t about willpower; it was biological. My body needed the GLP-1 and clinical support.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is GLP-1, and how did Ro enter the scene?<\/h3>\n

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs are a class of medications originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes. They mimic a natural hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels and, crucially, slow digestion\u2014leading to reduced appetite and significant weight loss for many patients. They\u2019ve gained widespread attention in recent years, with brand names like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound driving record demand.<\/p>\n

Initially, only Eli Lilly<\/a> and Novo Nordisk<\/a> were authorized to manufacture the key ingredients behind GLP-1s. But when demand surged beyond supply, both companies declared shortages with the FDA, opening the door for compounding pharmacies to enter the market.\u00a0Even after supply normalized, the genie proved hard to put back in the bottle. Alternative manufacturers remain a growing force in the weight loss sector, even as Eli Lilly touts new clinical trial successes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am expecting that in retrospect, both Novo and Eli Lilly probably wish they hadn\u2019t reported the shortage,\u201d Marta Wosinska, a health economist at the Brookings Institution<\/a>, said last week on NPR\u2019s Planet Money podcast.<\/p>\n

Ro was founded in 2017 as Roman, a men\u2019s health startup focused on treating erectile dysfunction. The company has since reinvented itself multiple times. Backed by early investors like General Catalyst, the company raised $3.1 million in seed funding before pulling in $88 million in a 2018 Series A.<\/p>\n

That same year, the startup shortened its name to Ro, expanded into women\u2019s health and added Ohanian to its board. By 2021, after several funding rounds, Ro hit a $5 billion valuation. In 2022, its reported valuation rose to $7 billion. The company entered the GLP-1 space in 2023, following the FDA\u2019s approval of Zepbound, and has since made weight loss treatments one of its central offerings.<\/p>\n

A cultural moment<\/h3>\n

For Ro\u2014and for GLP-1s more broadly\u2014the Williams partnership represents a cultural and commercial milestone. Celebrity endorsements of weight loss injections remain relatively rare. By sharing her experience, Williams placed herself at the center of a cultural moment where discussions about postpartum health, body image and medical interventions are increasingly mainstream. Besides Williams, Ro has also collaborated with retired basketball player Charles Barkley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Williams herself is no stranger to brand deals. Although she earned nearly $95 million in prize money over her tennis career, much of her wealth (estimated at over $300 million<\/a>) has come from endorsements. She has partnered with brands like Gatorade, JPMorgan Chase, Audemars Piguet and Beats by Dre.<\/p>\n

She has also become an avid startup investor in recent years. Her investment firm, Serena Ventures, has backed 14 unicorn startups as of last year, including Noom, a Ro competitor offering weight loss and fitness services.<\/p>\n

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