Michele Kang didn’t enter the sports industry through a conventional route. A self-made billionaire who built her healthcare tech firm, Cognosante, from scratch before selling it to Accenture, Kang now finds herself at the epicenter of a new sports business revolution—this time with a singular focus: elevating women’s football globally.
Through her holding company, Kynisca Sports International, Kang now owns:
- Washington Spirit (NWSL)
- Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (France)
- London City Lionesses (England)
Kang’s approach isn’t just financial—it’s cultural, structural, and ecosystem-driven. Her mission is clear: make women’s football sustainable, professional, and independently powerful.
“This Is Not a Passion Project—It’s a Business Model”
Kang has consistently dismissed the idea that investing in women’s sport is purely philanthropic. Instead, she views it as venture capital meets sport, where clubs are at their commercial inflection point—much like early-stage startups.
“Women’s soccer is good business,” Kang told SportsPro. “It’s a lot of guts, belief, and educated guesses—just like Silicon Valley.”
Her mindset reflects the shift from patronage to profitability:
Scale isn’t just an ambition—it’s a necessity.
Emotion isn’t the driver—ROI is.
She’s not funding dreams—she’s building a system.
The Kynisca Ecosystem: A Global Multiclub Blueprint
Kang’s ambitions extend far beyond three clubs. Her stated goal? One team per continent, creating a synergistic network of clubs that can:
- Share best practices
- Pool backroom talent
- Create cross-border commercial value
- Build global player development pipelines
- Offer sponsors scalable reach
“It’s not about owning everywhere—it’s about building infrastructure for women’s sport to thrive everywhere,” Kang said.
This model—common in the men’s game (City Football Group, Red Bull)—is now being adapted for the women’s game. And it may be the most important development in women’s sports business since the NWSL’s founding.
Strategic Investments: Not Just Teams, but the Entire Ecosystem
Kang’s sports vision goes deeper than just trophies and transfers. She’s committed:
- $50M to the Kynisca Innovation Hub: pioneering health research on female athletes
- $30M to US Soccer: the largest-ever donation focused on women and girls’ development
- Additional donations to USA Rugby and ecosystem-wide initiatives
“If we don’t have physios, referees, coaches, or proper youth academies, we can’t take care of our players. So we’re investing in the full supply chain.”
Her ecosystem-led approach is a strategic departure from the male club model, where success is often isolated to top-tier squads. Kang is building foundations, not just teams.
Why Now Is the Moment?
When Kang bought the Washington Spirit in 2022, they were valued at $35M.
Today? They’re worth $130M, almost 4x in just two years.
For perspective:
- Early NWSL expansion fees (Angel City, Utah Royals): ~$3M
- Current expansion fees: Well over $50M
- Franchise valuations are soaring as new investors race to enter
“In three years, the growth has been phenomenal,” Kang noted.
This isn’t a bubble—it’s a revaluation of a historically undervalued product.
Michele Kang’s Model as a Case Study
Kang’s approach should be studied as a new multi-axis investment model for sport. Here’s what makes it powerful:
1. Multi-Club, Multi-Market Synergy
Not just owning clubs—but building a vertically integrated, geographically diversified sports IP network.
2. Dual-Track Impact: Commercial + Ecosystem
Strategically balancing profit-seeking investments with philanthropic infrastructure building, maximizing long-term sustainability.
3. Experience-Driven Acquisition Playbook
Kynisca is now developing a Post-Merger Integration Playbook for future acquisitions—allowing efficient scaling, immediate brand alignment, and operational uplift.
4. Women’s Sport as a Greenfield Investment
Where men’s sports are saturated and priced to perfection, women’s sports offer undervalued assets with exponential upside.
Michele Kang isn’t just investing in sport—she’s engineering its future.
Her strategy isn’t about owning a club. It’s about reshaping the architecture of women’s football, and proving that good business and good impact can—when done right—be the same thing.
For investors, federations, and clubs wondering how to scale women’s sport…
Look no further. The blueprint is already here.
Interested in building your own multi-club ownership model? Or scaling your women’s sports strategy with purpose and precision?
Let 365247 Consultancy help you define the next era. Schedule a call here.
Join the 365247 Communtiy here.
IMAGE: Lexis Swall/New York Times/Redux /eyevine
