Alexis Ohanian is an American internet entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of the social media site Reddit. He is married to tennis player Serena Williams. On 23rd December 2016, Ohanian became engaged to tennis player Serena Williams.
Alexis Ohanian Personal Life
Alexis Ohanian was born on 24 April 1983 in Brooklyn, New York, United States to Anke Ohanian and Chris Ohanian. He has two sisters named Harley Ohanian and Carly Ohanian.
Alexis’ mother was an immigrant from Germany whereas his grandparents came to the United States as refugees because of the Armenian genocide.
Alexis Ohanian Career
After graduating from the University, Ohanian, and his friend Steve Huffman pitched the MyMobileMenu idea to Y Combinator. The company passed on the idea but encouraged the duo to come up with another idea that could be funded. Later they invented reddit.com to become the “front of the Internet”. Reddit joined the first group of Y-Combinator startups in the summer of 2005 and was later acquired by Condé Nast in 2006 for an undisclosed $10-20 million.
Ohanian continued to work closely with Reddit as a board member. Ohanian returned to Reddit full-time with co-founder Huffman in July 2015 to run the now independent company. He left the company in February 2018 and returned to focus on investing. In 2007, Ohanian launched Breadpig, a “non-profit” that makes geek products and donates the proceeds to charity. As of 2012, he is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of Breadpig.
In 2009, Ohanian spoke at TED about a whale named Mister Splashy Pants. After leaving Reddit in 2010, Ohanian spent three months working in microfinance as a Kiva Fellow in Yerevan, Armenia. Ohanian helped launch the travel search website Hipmunk in 2010 and now serves as an advisor. In June 2010, Ohanian announced the founding of his company, Das Kapital Capital, which focuses on startup investments, consulting, and advisory. Ohanian was named “Ambassador of the East” by early-stage venture firm Y Combinator. In that role, he meets with East Coast candidates, mentors New York YC founders, and serves as the company’s general representative.
Before leaving in 2016, he also worked part-time and as a full-time partner at Y Combinator to help launch a third fund, Initialized Capital, with Garry Tan. On June 5, 2020, Ohanian resigned from Reddit’s board and asked to be replaced by a black candidate in response to the murder of George Floyd. On June 10, 2020, it was announced that African-American entrepreneur Michael Seibel had been appointed to Reddit’s board of directors.
On July 21, 2020, Ohanian was announced as the lead investor in an all-female group that secured a new franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League, the top level of women’s sports in the United States. Later, the new Angelina team was announced Angel City FC started playing in 2022. The mostly female ownership includes 14 former members of the US Women’s National Team, Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman and many other famous actors, entertainers, media, and athletes, including Ohanian’s wife, Serena. Williams.
In June 2020, Ohanian stepped down as managing partner of Initialized. In June 2021, Ohanian announced a new venture capital firm he heads called “776”.
Investing
Ohanian founded Initialized Capital in 2010 and has made seed investments in startups including Instacart, Zenefits, Opendoor, and Cruise. It had three funds with a total of more than $500 million under management. In 2014, CB Insights analyzed all technology investors and ranked Ohania #1 for network centricity, the extent of the investor’s ties to other investors in the ecosystem, and the quality and depth of those ties. Through Initialized Capital, Ohanian invested $3 million in childcare startup Kinside in 2019.
In 2020, Ohanian also invested $4 million in Dispo (David’s Disposable). In April 2021, Ohanian invested $10 million in a Series A round in social startup Cappop, and $6 million from other investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Sound Ventures, Slow Ventures, and other celebrities.
Other Work
- In early 2017, he worked with teenager Rayouf Alhumedh on a hijab emoji campaign. Ohanian helped organize an AMA for Alhumedhi about his idea for r/twoxchromosomes and responded to critics. On July 17, 2017, Apple released its version of the hijab emoji.
- On December 10, 2012, Ohanian teamed up with Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers to launch a Kickstarter project to make a new album titled “Lester’s Time Has Come”. According to Fast Company, Ohanian’s goal was “to prove that, thanks to platforms like Kickstarter, there are now new sustainable funding options for artists”. The project raised more than $61,000 for Chambers. Two years later, Ohanian raised $12,244 for the nonprofit Black Girls Code on Tilt.com. In May 2014, Ohanian again used Tilt.com to launch a crowdfunding campaign called “Save Net Neutrality: Billboard in FCC’s Backyard” opposing the FCC’s plans to scrap the idea of net Visiting Armenia in April 2015 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Ohani visited villages in rural Armenia supported by the Children’s Fund of Armenia (COAF).
Alexis Ohanian Controversy
On July 2, 2015, Reddit fired communications director Victoria Taylor, an administrator who coordinated celebrity interviews from Reddit’s New York office. In protest, volunteer moderators in the IAmA community made their forum private, effectively shutting it down, and other volunteer moderators followed suit because they are “frustrated with the way the company routinely requires volunteers and the community to accept major changes that reduce [their] efficiency and increases [their] workload.”
The next day, an IAmA moderator posted that “u/kn0thing [Alexis Ohanian] fired Chooter (Victoria) as manager,” a claim that was not widely reported. Media outlets such as Variety blamed the interim CEO Ellen Pao over the firing Harassment, already directed at Pao in connection with other conflicts, escalated and he resigned a week later.
However, on July 12, former CEO Yishan Wong announced to the Reddit community that “the CEO of the CEO” fired Taylor and accused Ohanian of being a scapegoat. After Pao’s resignation, Ohanian described his role in Taylor’s firing, claiming that even though the AMA/IAmA changes came from him, he continued to report to Pao. In 2017, Pao criticized Ohania for avoiding elimination by competing at Wimbledon shortly after Taylor was sent off.
Alexis Ohanian Net Worth
According to the Forbes report, Alexis has a net worth of $70 million. He has gathered his net worth by being an investor and internet entrepreneur.
Alexis Ohanian Relationship
On 23rd December 2016, Ohanian became engaged to tennis player Serena Williams. Their daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, was born on September 1, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ohanian and Williams got married on November 16, 2017, in New Orleans. In May 2023, the couple announced their second pregnancy at the Met Gala 2023.
Alexis Ohanian Education
He attended Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, where he gave the valedictorian speech to his graduating class in 2001. In 2005, he graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in business and history.
Alexis Ohanian Instagram Account
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Alexis Ohanian Twitter Account
Mama & Papa love this parenting-thing, so we’re back at it 😁 and @olympiaohanian is gonna be the best Big Sister—she’s been asking & praying for this for a minute. #MetGala pic.twitter.com/Ycv9FBtV61
— Alexis Ohanian 🧠 (@alexisohanian) May 2, 2023
Alexis Ohanian Favorites
| Favorite Food | Gordon Ramsay Steak, Caesars’ Buffet, Lotus of Siam |
| Favorite Actor | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| Favorite Film | Hollywood: The Dark Knight Rises |
| Favorite Musician | Logic, Serj Tankian, Steven Larson, The Gregory Brothers, Metallica, Emmanuel Jal |
| Favorite TV Shows | American: Shark Tank, Archer, Small Empires, Attack of the Show, Colbert |
| Favorite Restaurant | Ground Central Coffee Company Coffee Shop, New York |
Alexis Ohanian Physical Stats
| Height | in centimeters- 196 cm in meters- 1.96 m in Feet Inches- 6’ 5” |
| Weight | in Kilograms- 85 kg in Pounds- 188 lbs |
| Body Measurements | – Chest: 42 Inches – Waist: 34 Inches – Biceps: 12 Inches |
| Eye Colour | Hazel Brown |
| Hair Colour | Brown |
Alexis Ohanian Wiki/Bio
| Name | Alexis Ohanian |
| Full Name | Alexis Kerry Ohanian |
| Date Of Birth | 24 April 1983 |
| Age | 40 (as of 2023) |
| Birthplace | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, investor |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Armenian-German |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
| Gender | Male |
| Parents | Anke Ohanian, Chris Ohanian |
| Siblings | Harley Ohanian and Carly Ohanian |
| Partner | N/A |
| Spouse | Serena Williams (m. 2017) |
| Children | Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr |
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