Venus Williams & 3 Ball Developing New Series

3 Ball Entertainment (Bar Rescue) and tennis icon, entrepreneur and Olympic gold medalist Venus Williams have teamed up for a new unscripted series, tentatively titled Deals in Heels.

Williams will be featured in and executive produce the series, alongside 3 Ball’s executive producers Todd A. Nelson, Ross Weintraub and DJ Nurre. In each episode, five up-and-coming entrepreneurs pitch a panel, and the two women whose businesses show the most promise will be invited up to the “executive suite” for a deeper dive into their companies. If their business plans measure up, the panel will dedicate one month to mentoring the entrepreneurs on all aspects of their businesses in preparation for critical upcoming sales benchmarks. At the end of the month, the two entrepreneurs will return to the executive suite to re-pitch, but after review and negotiations only one start-up will receive an investment from the panel.

Williams, who is the founder and CEO of design firm V*STARR Interiors and founder of athletic apparel line EleVen, will appear in the series alongside a panel of other female magnates who will serve as mentors for standout businesswomen before making final investment offers. Also attached to the series as co-executive producers are Staness Jonekos, an award-winning television producer and CEO, and Deborah Perry Piscone, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, author and public speaker.

“As an advocate for gender and pay equality, I’m thrilled to be working with 3 Ball Entertainment on this project that fosters and supports trailblazing women who are actively pursuing their professional aspirations,” said Williams.

“From sports and fashion to publishing and social activism, there is not an arena Venus Williams hasn’t conquered,” said 3 Ball’s executive VP of programming and development, Nurre. “Teaming with the mega-successful Staness Jonekos and Deborah Perry Piscone, we’re confident these women can deliver both a powerful perspective and tangible results, helping to empower and inspire a new wave of entrepreneurs.”