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Serena Williams is adding infant formula to her investment portfolio.
The tennis icon has joined a roster of high-profile backers in a $32 million funding round for Nara Organics, a startup that just launched what it says is the first USDA-certified, FDA-registered organic whole milk infant formula that meets both U.S. and European regulatory standards.
The round includes funding from AlleyCorp, Torch Capital, Corazon Ventures, BBG Ventures, and Gingerbread Capital. Alongside Williams, individual investors include former WW International CEO Mindy Grossman and actor Gina Rodriguez. Advisors on the brand include Nicky Hilton, Erin and Sara Foster, Keleigh Teller, and Karla Souza.
The product—manufactured in Germany and formulated without palm oil, soy, corn syrup, maltodextrin, skim milk, or GMOs—arrives at a time when demand for alternatives to conventional baby formula is still elevated following the 2022 U.S. shortage. Nara’s whole-milk blend aims to fill what the company calls a “glaring gap” in premium infant nutrition, offering ingredients aligned with European standards, such as naturally occurring milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) and DHA levels designed to support brain development.
“Like so many women, breastfeeding didn’t go the way I hoped,” said Esther Hallam, Nara’s founder and chief executive officer, in an interview. “When I started looking for an organic formula I could trust, I was stunned by the options—so many still contained corn syrup, palm oil, even soy.”
Hallam, a former marketing executive, began developing the formula seven years ago after struggling to find products that met her expectations for her daughter. The company conducted a large-scale, double-blinded clinical trial with infants to validate its safety and efficacy—an uncommon step for new entrants in the formula space.
Nara’s blend, she says, uses whole milk for its high percentage of naturally occurring milk fat, something that sets it apart from conventional U.S. formulas that rely on skim milk and vegetable oils. The product also includes prebiotics to support gut health and immunity.
The company has assembled a scientific advisory board that includes pediatricians, OB/GYNs, and nutritionists, among them Dr. Jessica Acker, Dr. Payal Adhikari, Dr. Rachel Bervell, and pediatric nutritionist Nicole Silber.
Nara’s launch marks a rare consumer-facing innovation in the U.S. formula market, long dominated by legacy players like Abbott and Reckitt. The brand will initially be available direct-to-consumer at nara.com, priced at $36 for a two-can starter bundle. Retail expansion is planned in the coming months.
Before its formal launch, Nara built a sizable digital footprint through its Nara Baby + Mom Tracker app, which the company says has over 1 million users.
For Williams, whose investments span sectors from fintech to wellness, Nara represents a continuation of her push into mission-driven consumer health products. “When you’re a parent, every choice feels enormous,” said Hallam. “We wanted to make one of those choices just a little easier.”
