Among Korean American men, the richest is Michael Kim of MBK Partners. Among women, it’s Thai Lee of SHI International. But the most well-known Korean American business leader in the U.S. right now is probably Michele Kang.
Kang moved from Korea to the U.S. at age 20, studied economics at the University of Chicago, and earned an MBA from Yale. She founded the health-care IT company Cognosante in 2008 and sold it in 2024 for over $1 billion. In 2025, Forbes listed her with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion.
These days, Kang’s mission is to turn women’s sports into a real global business. Friends say she’s always fully prepared, and leaders like Magic Johnson and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman say she easily commands a room. A random meeting on Capitol Hill first introduced her to women’s soccer, and within six years she owned three clubs: the Washington Spirit (NWSL), OL Lyon in France, and the London City Lionesses in England.
She bought the Spirit in 2022 for $35 million; Forbes now values the team at about $130 million. Kang believes top women’s teams will eventually sell for $1 billion and has already invested more than $200 million across clubs, startups, and major gifts.
The women’s sports market is still growing. The Spirit brought in about $15 million in 2024, while nearby MLS club D.C. United earned around $90 million. Some critics say the rise of women’s sports is mainly a social movement, but Kang strongly disagrees. She says this isn’t charity or a DEI project—it’s a smart business opportunity.
Before all this, Kang grew up a tomboy, came to the U.S. during Korea’s political changes in the 1980s, and moved quickly up the ranks at EY, TRW, and Northrop Grumman. She later launched Cognosante during the financial crisis with $700,000 from selling stock.
After buying the Spirit, she upgraded the front office and built a stronger roster around star forward Trinity Rodman. Attendance grew to nearly 14,000 per game, and revenue tripled since 2022. She also brought her three clubs together under Kynisca Sports International, centralized scouting, and brought in sponsors like AT&T and Google. The NWSL later landed a $240 million media deal with major networks, a rise many experts say she helped spark.
