Serena Williams Joins Board of Barry Sternlicht SPAC
Tennis legend Serena Williams is joining the board of directors of Barry Sternlicht’s latest special purpose acquisition company. The SPAC, Jaws Spitfire Acquisition, raised $300 million in an IPO earlier this month.
Williams is the sixth member of the blank check firm’s management team and its fifth member of the board. She will help Jaws Spitfire locate an acquisition target in the consumer technology or other related technology businesses in North America or Europe.
“I have long admired Barry’s leadership and investor acumen, and am thrilled to join the world-class Jaws Spitfire team as a board member,” said Williams in a press release this morning from the SPAC. “I look forward to lending my expertise as an entrepreneur, investor and brand-builder as we identify high-potential investments in the tech sector.”
Sternlicht is the founder and CEO of Starwood Capital, an investment firm that counts publicly traded Starwood Hotels and Starwood Property Trust among its successes. Jaws Spitfire is his second SPAC. His first, Jaws Acquisition, has agreed to acquire Cano Health.
Williams, 39, has long been considered one of tennis’ greatest players, having won 39 Grand Slam titles – 23 individually, 14 in doubles and 2 in mixed doubles. In 2014, she began investing through Serena Ventures and has subsequently created a fashion line, S By Serena and a eponymous line of jewelry.
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