Naomi Osaka’s $5M business milestone comes as the tennis star builds a powerful empire beyond her tennis career

Naomi Osaka’s $5M business milestone comes as the tennis star builds a powerful empire beyond her tennis career

Naomi Osaka is no longer using tennis fame only to land endorsement deals. The four time Grand Slam champion has built businesses, invested in sports teams and consumer brands, and now wants to create a luxury brand of her own. Her latest move is a leather goods line, unveiled in August 2026 with designer Mike Cherman. It gives Osaka another way to turn her ideas and influence into businesses she can help shape herself.

One of Osaka’s biggest business moves has been Hana Kuma, the media company she launched with Stuart Duguid in 2022. The company first partnered with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company before becoming independent after raising $5 million. Hana Kuma now focuses on stories for international and multicultural audiences, including projects connected to athletes and culture. The company’s official website currently lists work involving Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios.Osaka has also built a place for herself in the beauty business through KINLÒ. The skincare company focuses on sun protection for Black and Brown skin. KINLÒ says its products are made with melanin rich skin in mind, while its name comes from Japanese and Haitian words for “gold.”

The brand is currently sold exclusively through Amazon, according to its website.Her investments also extend into sports. Osaka became a minority investor in the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage in 2021, and the club still lists her among its minority investors. She is also part of the ownership group of the Miami Pickleball Club, alongside names including Patrick Mahomes and Nick Kyrgios.Her earlier investment in BodyArmor showed why equity can be different from a normal sponsorship. Forbes reported that Osaka received an equity stake in the sports drink company. In 2021, Coca Cola bought the remaining 85% of BodyArmor for $5.6 billion, giving early investors a major exit.

The clearest sign of where Osaka wants to go next came in August 2026. At Uncharted’s Fame to Fortune Summit, she showed a prototype of a handbag from her planned luxury leather goods brand while appearing with Mike Cherman. Osaka described the project as her “biggest dream” outside tennis and spoke about wanting to create something of her own.

That is a notable change from simply appearing in campaigns for major companies. Osaka has worked with major fashion and lifestyle brands, but this venture puts her closer to the product itself.Her business path has also changed in another important way. Osaka left Evolve, the sports agency she co-founded with Duguid, in December 2025 and returned to IMG for tennis representation in January 2026. Evolve continues separately, with Duguid leading the agency.For Osaka, the bigger picture is clear: tennis opened the door, but she is increasingly trying to build businesses that can stand on their own.