Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian proudly shows off award from his student life

In a nostalgic throwback, Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, recently stumbled across an old wooden plaque honoring him as the “Marketing Student of the Year” for 2000–2001 from DECA, the Distributive Education Clubs of America. With a playful nod to his entrepreneurial roots, he shared the find online, jokingly suggesting it deserved a spot in the family trophy room.

After earning his degree in commerce and history from the University of Virginia in 2005, Ohanian co-founded Reddit with Steve Huffman and the late Aaron Swartz that same year. The site was acquired by Conde Nast in 2006 and quickly became a cornerstone of internet culture. Never one to slow down, Ohanian went on to launch Breadpig in 2007, co-found Hipmunk in 2010, and then Initialized Capital in 2011—where his early investments included Coinbase and Instacart.

In 2020, he stepped away to build a new venture firm, Seven Seven Six, focusing on inclusive innovation. Most recently, Ohanian joined a star-studded group attempting to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations and invested in Athlos, a pioneering women-only track event blending sports and entertainment.

And while he’s known today for his business acumen and high-profile marriage to tennis legend Serena Williams, it’s clear that Ohanian hasn’t forgotten where it all began. Sharing the wooden plaque proudly, which described the honor as being “presented to the student who exhibited the most outstanding attitude, work ethic and study habits,” Ohanian posted a photo on his Instagram story with the caption:

"Make space in the trophy room."

Screengrab of Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian's Instagram stories (@alexisohanian)

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Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian fondly recalled the 'Fight Club'-style moment he was publicly recognized for the first time

In Picture: Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams's husband, Alexis Ohanian, recently shared a touching and humorous recollection of his early days of recognition in public. On April 1, 2025, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) about how one day he had gone to a Mexican restaurant in New York and was surprised to find that a busser had paid his bill after having recognized him as "the Reddit guy."

"Okay, this is a funny one. I really don't remember the first time I was recognized in public. I do remember probably one of the first times I was recognized in public and benefited from it. I was getting lunch in New York. This Mexican Restaurant. This is like 2009, 2010. I asked for the check, and the server's like, 'Oh, that's fine, it's been taken care of'," Serena Williams' husband said.

"And I'm like, "What do you mean?" And she points over to one of the bussers. He just sort of nods at me, and gets back to work, and she says, "So-and-so, he told me you're the Reddit guy. Check's taken care of here. Your tacos are on us." And I was like, "Really?"," he added.

Alexis Ohanian described the moment as surreal, comparing it to a scene from the 1999 cult classic Fight Club. With a touch of humor, he added, “I’m not Tyler Durden,” referencing the film’s mysterious lead character.