Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian: 5 things about the man who won tennis ace Serena Williams' heart

SPH Brightcove Video
The tennis star is engaged to Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian.
US tennis player Serena Williams (left) and Mr Alexis Ohanian, investor and co-founder of Reddit. PHOTO: AFP

It's love-all between Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams.

The 35-year-old tennis superstar served news of her engagement to the 33-year-old Armenian-German-American co-founder of Reddit on - surprise, surprise - Reddit, by penning a poem.

Here are five things about the man who successfully courted the Grand Slam winner.

1. He is the co-founder of Reddit and he is rich

Together with Mr Steve Huffman, he set up social media and content aggregator site Reddit in 2005, according to Mirror.

After it was acquired by Conde Naste Publications in 2006, he remained with the company until 2010, when he left to work on several other start-ups. He eventually returned to Reddit a few years later.

The Mirror reports his net worth to be somewhere in the US$4.5 million (S$6.5 million) region. This pales in comparison to Williams' US$150 million. She started playing tennis at age five and has won 22 Grand Slam titles.

SPH Brightcove Video
The tennis star is engaged to Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian.

2. He first met her at a lunch in Rome

Back in October 2015, a source told Us Weekly that Ohanian and Williams "met at a lunch".

From the poem she wrote to announce the engagement, we can figure that they first met at an eatery in Rome by chance, the same one at which he proposed to her.

3. He is not just a techie

Ohanian is a best-selling author.

In 2013, he wrote the book Without Their Permission: How The 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed, about Reddit's formation and how he perceived the Internet could be positively optimised, according to Mirror.

Remote video URL

He also hosted Small Empires, a show about tech start-ups, on media network The Verge.

4. He has a sporting past

Like his professional athlete fiancee, Ohanian has a link to sports.

He did play football, just not professionally, as an Instagram post from August revealed.

A throwback photo of his high school football team was shared, with the caption: "I never started, barely even played, but some of my best lessons in leadership and teamwork came from being out of my element here with these guys. I wasn't going to be captain on this squad, but fortunately, I found my element. thanks for everything - even the two-a-days, coaches.... #TBT"

According to E! News, he stands at 6 ft 5 inches, which is a hulking 1.95m tall.

5. He is an Internet activist

Dubbed by Forbes as the "Mayor of the Internet", Ohanian persistently opposed Congress with regards to the over-regulation of the Internet, according to E! News.

In late 2010 and early 2011, he vocally objected to the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) and the Senate's Protect IP Act (Pipa), spearheading online campaigns against them.

He also spoke to members of Congress and at rallies, in efforts that eventually overturned both Bills.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.