Serena Williams accepts a new challenge - in Silicon Valley

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tennis star Serena Williams has 39 Grand Slam titles, four Olympic medals, major endorsement deals and her own line of clothing and accessories.

Silicon Valley's lack of diversity has become a recurring source of embarrassment in a region that has long sought to position itself as an egalitarian place that doesn't favor one gender, ethnicity or race over another.

Yet that philosophy hasn't been reflected in high-tech workforces , despite the efforts of companies such as Google, Apple and Facebook to fix the problem.

Diversity advocates say women and minorities add value to corporate boards — as well as companies' executive ranks — by offering new perspectives and advocating for a broader range of a company's stakeholders, whether that's customers, shareholders or employees.

In a report on France's quota requirements for corporate boards, the business research group Conference Board found that the real value of adding women came from the fact that they were more likely to be outsiders.

Like a lot of rich athletes, she is interested in becoming more involved in the business opportunities amid the high-tech boom in Silicon Valley.