The Reddit co-founder is a proud husband and father.
Serena Williams, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, is happily married to Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit.
While Serena retired from professional tennis in 2022 and Alexis left the Reddit board of directors in 2020, the two continue to be involved in various business and philanthropic ventures.
They have two daughters, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., born in September 2017, and Adira River Ohanian, born in August 2023.
Ohanian and Williams first met in May 2015 at the Cavalieri Hotel in Rome.
Their initial chance encounter soon led to a blossoming relationship.
They had their first official date in Paris, where they explored the city together before Serena’s match at the French Open.
In December 2016, Ohanian proposed to Williams at the same hotel they met.
They married on November 16, 2017, in a star-studded ceremony in New Orleans.
Multiple A-list celebrities, including Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian, Meghan Markle, and Eva Longoria, attended the event.
Serena Williams’ wedding to Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans yesterday 😍 pic.twitter.com/SoZCSvdk4J
— Facts About Africa (@OnlyAfricaFacts) November 18, 2017
Alexis Ohanian is a devoted father who cherishes every moment with his two daughters, Olympia and Adira.
He often shares glimpses of their cute moments together on social media.
From baking and dining out to playing video games and golfing, Alexis has shared countless heartwarming experiences with his daughters.
One particularly cute moment was when Alexis proudly called himself Olympia’s caddy during a golf session, acknowledging that she outshines him in golfing skills.
Putting pool with Jr this morning. She won a few robux off me pic.twitter.com/mIXzTv7eJK
— Alexis Ohanian 🇦🇲 (@alexisohanian) November 10, 2024
Alexis also ensures that his daughters are involved in his professional ventures.
At just two years old, Olympia became the youngest owner of a professional sports team when she joined her parents as an investor in Angel City FC.
Adira, too, has been made a co-owner of the Los Angeles Golf Club, another venture by Alexis and Serena.
Alexis Kerry Ohanian’s Parents Helped Him To Be A Programmer And Then Came Reddit
Alexis Kerry Ohanian was born on April 24, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York, to an Armenian-American father and a German-born mother.
His father, Chris Ohanian, was a travel agent and pharmacy technician.
While Alexis was still a child, his family moved to a suburb in Maryland.
Ohanian attended Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, where he took the only computer science class available in hopes of becoming a programmer.
However, he lost confidence in programming when we went to college.
Alexis attended the University of Virginia, earning degrees in commerce and history.
However, with his parents’ support, he took computer programming classes at a community college and spent time learning how to code and build websites on message boards.
After graduating from college in 2005, Alexis Ohanian and his friend and college roommate Steve Huffman presented MyMobileMenu, a food ordering app, to Y Combinator, a startup accelerator company.
Although the company declined to fund this project, they encouraged Alexis and Steve to develop another idea for potential funding.
This led to the creation of reddit.com, an online bulletin board envisioned as the “front page of the Internet.”
Reddit quickly gained popularity and was acquired by Condé Nast Publications in 2006 for an estimated $10-$20 million.
In 2011, Reddit became an independent subsidiary of Condé Nast’s parent company, Advance Publications.
Alexis Ohanian resigned from the Reddit board on June 5, 2020.
I've resigned as a member of the reddit board, I have urged them to fill my seat with a black candidate, + I will use future gains on my Reddit stock to serve the black community, chiefly to curb racial hate, and I’m starting with a pledge of $1M to @kaepernick7’s @yourrightscamp
— Alexis Ohanian 🇦🇲 (@alexisohanian) June 5, 2020
After leaving Reddit, Alexis Ohanian continued to be involved in the tech world by investing in promising tech startups.
He co-founded Initialized Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm that has funded numerous successful startups.
In 2020, he launched Seven Seven Six, a venture capital firm focused on investing in companies that aim to impact the tech world positively.
Alexis has also been involved in various other projects, including the travel search website Hipmunk and the social enterprise Breadpig.
As of 2024, Alexis’ net worth is estimated to be roughly $150 million.
In addition to his professional ventures, Alexis is also a massive philanthropist and an advocate for racial justice, women’s sports, climate change, and digital rights.
His resignation from the Reddit board was motivated by the tragic death of George Floyd in 2020.
He urged the company to fill his seat with a Black candidate, leading to the appointment of Michael Seibel.
Alexis pledged to use future gains from his Reddit stock to support the Black community and made a $1 million donation to Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp.
He also launched the 776 Foundation, which focuses on funding climate solutions and supporting marginalized communities.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Ohanian’s paternal grandparents came to the United States as refugees of the Armenian Genocide.
- Alexis Ohanian once planned to become an attorney and walked out of an LSAT prep course. He then went to a Waffle House in Charlottesville and decided to start a company instead.
