• by Fern Siegel , February 26, 2025

Tennis champion Venus Williams is encouraging the public in a new activity: walking.

Williams has teamed with WeWard, a free walking app, as both ambassador and investor. The goal is healthier people worldwide. World Health Organization data indicates that Americans rank the lowest in daily walking compared to other developed nations.

To combat that, the duo hopes to raise awareness around the dangers of physical inactivity, while noting the significant health benefits — cardiovascular, mental health, metabolism and energy levels — a walking routine secures. It's also a financial necessity: the economic burden of physical inactivity is significant and the cost of treating new cases of preventable non-communicable diseases will reach nearly $300 billion by 2030, around $27 billion annually.

A new 50-second spot by First Frame highlights Williams hitting her 10,000 steps goal. The campaign runs in-app and the WeWard site and social channels: Instagram, X, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Venus Williams said: “A large part of staying well and active is simply by moving your body whichever way you can, and with WeWard, walking becomes a fun and rewarding experience.”

WeWard has also pledged to donate $25,000to support Venus’s charity of choice, Care, which addresses global poverty by supporting economic growth, improved health and access to education for women and communities worldwide.

The startup will also be hosting a month-long Venus Williams Championship in-app where participants can unlock increasing donation amounts with their collective steps.

Founded in 2019, WeWard adopts a gamified approach to exercise motivation. Each day, users can track and redeem their daily steps for incentives, such as cash deposits, charity donations and retail gifts. Or they can participate in social challenges, such as leaderboards and collectibles.

WeWard claims users have increase their walking activity by nearly 25%, and to date, the company has given $20M in cash back to users, $1M to charity partners, and helped save more than 600,000 tons of CO2 due to walking activity.