Full Name
Michele Kang
Job Title
Founder & Chief Executive Officer and Owner
Company
Kynisca and Washington Spirit
Speaker Bio
Michele Kang is an American businesswoman, investor, philanthropist and founder of Kynisca, the first multi-team global organization dedicated to women’s football. Born and raised in South Korea, Kang came to the United States as a student to pursue her advanced education. She has spent her career building businesses that challenge the status quo—and leveraging her own successes, she has focused on helping others reach their own potential.
In 2022, Kang became the first woman of color to own a National Women’s Soccer League team: the 2021 League champions, the Washington Spirit. Kang has become a leading global advocate for creating a level playing field between men and women in football, starting with equal pay. She was selected as one of Sports Business Journal’s 2022 Power Players in Women’s Sports and was named to Sports Illustrated Power List 2023: 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports.
In May 2023, Kang signed an agreement with the OL Groupe to become the majority owner of Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. In December 2023, Kang further expanded her impact acquiring the London City Lionesses, the only fully independent women’s football club among England’s top two professional women’s leagues. In July 2024, Kang officially launched Kynisca Sports International and Kynisca Innovation Hub bringing unprecedented investment to the sport. A leader in advancing women’s sports around the globe, Kang received the 2023 Sports Business Journal Deal of the Year Award for her acquisition of the Washington Spirit in 2022.
In gratitude for the U.S. soldiers who helped defend her home country during the Korean War, Kang stands with American Veterans. She has been a proud supporter of the National Museum of the Marine Corps and The Chosin Few, which is a member organization of Veterans, spouses, and lineal descendants of one of the bloodiest battles of the Korean War, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. She also supports organizations that aim to eradicate homelessness among women Veterans and find employment for wounded Veterans and their caretakers.
As a long-time, art-loving philanthropist, she currently serves as a Trustee on the boards of the Washington National Opera and the Norton Museum of Art. She has also served on the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts and the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra board.
Kang has been recognized for her philanthropic work and trailblazing entrepreneurship with numerous awards. She is the recipient of the 2023 Horatio Alger Award. In 2022, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington inducted her as a Hall of Fame Laureate. She received the EY Entrepreneur of The Year® for the Washington, DC region and the U.S. Award for Services. Along with U.S. senators, high ranking government officials, and top executives of Fortune 500 companies, Kang was named an inaugural member of 100 Women Leaders in STEM in 2012 and one of the Top 100 CEO Leaders in STEM in 2016.
Kang earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from The University of Chicago and a master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.
In 2022, Kang became the first woman of color to own a National Women’s Soccer League team: the 2021 League champions, the Washington Spirit. Kang has become a leading global advocate for creating a level playing field between men and women in football, starting with equal pay. She was selected as one of Sports Business Journal’s 2022 Power Players in Women’s Sports and was named to Sports Illustrated Power List 2023: 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports.
In May 2023, Kang signed an agreement with the OL Groupe to become the majority owner of Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. In December 2023, Kang further expanded her impact acquiring the London City Lionesses, the only fully independent women’s football club among England’s top two professional women’s leagues. In July 2024, Kang officially launched Kynisca Sports International and Kynisca Innovation Hub bringing unprecedented investment to the sport. A leader in advancing women’s sports around the globe, Kang received the 2023 Sports Business Journal Deal of the Year Award for her acquisition of the Washington Spirit in 2022.
In gratitude for the U.S. soldiers who helped defend her home country during the Korean War, Kang stands with American Veterans. She has been a proud supporter of the National Museum of the Marine Corps and The Chosin Few, which is a member organization of Veterans, spouses, and lineal descendants of one of the bloodiest battles of the Korean War, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. She also supports organizations that aim to eradicate homelessness among women Veterans and find employment for wounded Veterans and their caretakers.
As a long-time, art-loving philanthropist, she currently serves as a Trustee on the boards of the Washington National Opera and the Norton Museum of Art. She has also served on the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts and the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra board.
Kang has been recognized for her philanthropic work and trailblazing entrepreneurship with numerous awards. She is the recipient of the 2023 Horatio Alger Award. In 2022, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington inducted her as a Hall of Fame Laureate. She received the EY Entrepreneur of The Year® for the Washington, DC region and the U.S. Award for Services. Along with U.S. senators, high ranking government officials, and top executives of Fortune 500 companies, Kang was named an inaugural member of 100 Women Leaders in STEM in 2012 and one of the Top 100 CEO Leaders in STEM in 2016.
Kang earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from The University of Chicago and a master’s degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management.