Alexis Ohanian co-founded Reddit in 2005 with Steve Huffman, then moved into venture capital, becoming one of Coinbase’s earliest institutional backers. Through his firm Initialized Capital, Ohanian invested in Coinbase years before the exchange’s 2021 direct listing on the Nasdaq. He later launched Seven Seven Six, a venture firm that has since directed most of its new capital toward crypto and Web3 startups. Ohanian is also known outside tech circles as the husband of tennis champion Serena Williams.
Who Is Alexis Ohanian?
Alexis Kerry Ohanian was born on April 24, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland, where he attended Howard High School. He studied commerce and history at the University of Virginia, graduating in 2005.
While still a student, Ohanian and roommate Steve Huffman pitched a mobile food-ordering idea to Y Combinator founder Paul Graham, who passed on the concept but funded the pair anyway on the condition they build something else. That deal produced Reddit, which launched in Y Combinator’s first batch in the summer of 2005.
Ohanian’s move into crypto came later and indirectly, through venture investing rather than direct advocacy. He was one of Coinbase’s earliest institutional backers, according to CoinDesk, investing through his venture firm Initialized Capital years before the exchange went public.
Alexis Ohanian’s Career and Contributions
Ohanian and Huffman sold Reddit to Condé Nast in 2006 for an amount reported between $10 million and $20 million. He returned as executive chairman in 2014 to help steady the company’s growth, then stepped back from day-to-day involvement in 2018 to focus on venture investing.
In 2011, Ohanian co-founded the venture firm Initialized Capital, which grew into one of Silicon Valley’s most active seed-stage investors and backed companies including Coinbase, Instacart, Opendoor, and Flexport. Readers new to the asset behind that early Coinbase bet can find the basics in UTB’s guide to how Bitcoin works.
Ohanian left Initialized Capital in 2020 to start Seven Seven Six, which his LinkedIn profile lists as his current venture. By 2022, the firm had shifted most of its new capital toward crypto and Web3 investments, raising $500 million across two new funds that year, according to CoinDesk.
Its portfolio has since included blockchain infrastructure startup QuickNode and Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs. Outside crypto, Ohanian co-purchased Digg with original founder Kevin Rose in 2025 and bought a 10 percent stake in Chelsea Women’s Football Club the same year.
Alexis Ohanian’s Views and Positions
Ohanian has framed Seven Seven Six’s pivot toward crypto as following where strong founders choose to build, rather than a fixed ideological stance. In a February 2022 interview, he told CoinDesk that “a majority of our future investments will likely be in crypto,” while noting the firm still follows individual founders wherever they build.
He has separately described Bitcoin and similar assets as a long-term, hard-to-seize store of value, a position he laid out in a 2023 Forbes video interview recorded after the collapse of FTX. Unlike some peers, Ohanian rarely comments on token prices or monetary policy, keeping his public remarks focused on venture returns and founder quality.
Alexis Ohanian’s Net Worth in 2026
The most recent named estimate of Alexis’ Net worth comes from Forbes, which placed his personal net worth at $70 million in 2019, separate from the fortune of his wife, Serena Williams. Estimates circulating on personal-finance and celebrity websites put the number as high as $150 million in 2026, but these rely on aggregated public records rather than a named financial institution’s methodology and should be treated as unverified.
What is documented is the scale of Ohanian’s equity exposure rather than a single figure. His venture stakes span two firms, Initialized Capital and Seven Seven Six, both of which have raised outside capital across multiple funds, and his ownership percentage in either is not publicly disclosed. His wealth is tied to fund performance and illiquid startup equity, including Coinbase shares acquired years before the company went public, rather than to a salary or a single liquid holding.
Alexis Ohanian in the News
The most notable controversy tied to Ohanian’s governance record dates to June 5, 2020, when he resigned from Reddit’s board of directors and publicly urged the company to fill his seat with a Black candidate, according to Bloomberg. Ohanian said at the time that “resignation can actually be an act of leadership,” and pledged to donate future gains on his Reddit stock to organizations serving the Black community.
Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman said the company would honor the request. The decision came amid the wider Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s death, and it remains the most cited example of Ohanian using a governance decision to make a public statement. It does not involve his crypto investing directly, but it remains part of the public record on how he has handled board-level decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Need a refresher on Alexis Ohanian? Here are the questions readers most often ask about him.
Who is Alexis Ohanian?
Alexis Ohanian is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist best known for co-founding Reddit in 2005 with Steve Huffman. He later became an early institutional investor in Coinbase through his venture firm Initialized Capital and now runs the venture firm Seven Seven Six. He is married to tennis champion Serena Williams.
What is Alexis Ohanian’s net worth in 2026?
No verified net worth figure for Alexis Ohanian has been published by a named financial institution as of 2026. Forbes placed his net worth at $70 million in 2019, and higher online estimates of roughly $150 million remain unverified by a primary financial source.
Did Alexis Ohanian invest in Coinbase?
Yes. His venture firm, Initialized Capital, was one of Coinbase’s earliest institutional backers, investing years before the exchange’s 2021 direct listing on the Nasdaq, according to CoinDesk.
What is Seven Seven Six (776)?
Seven Seven Six is the venture firm Ohanian launched in 2020 after leaving Initialized Capital. By 2022, it had shifted most of its new investments toward crypto and Web3 startups, according to CoinDesk, with a portfolio that has included QuickNode and Yuga Labs.
Why did Alexis Ohanian resign from the Reddit board?
Ohanian resigned from Reddit’s board on June 5, 2020, and asked the company to replace him with a Black board member, a decision he tied to that year’s Black Lives Matter protests, according to Bloomberg. Reddit later honored the request.
Is Alexis Ohanian still investing in crypto in 2026?
Yes. Ohanian remains active through Seven Seven Six, which has continued backing crypto and Web3 infrastructure companies since its 2022 pivot, and he retains his earlier equity stakes in companies like Coinbase through Initialized Capital’s original investments.
