WE ARE BUILDING THE WORLD’S PRE-EMINENT WOMEN’S SPORTS ORGANIZATION
We are creating a high-performance culture of winning on and off the pitch
We are proving the commercial viability of women’s sports
We are investing in femtech innovation to train females as females
Cynisca (“Kynisca”) didn’t let technicalities keep her from becoming the first female champion in the ancient Olympic games. Although only male drivers were allowed to run in chariot racing, the victors were the horse owners, not the riders. So, Kynisca devoted herself to being the best breeder and trainer of ancient Greece. She won Olympic gold not just once, but twice. She did not let gender stereotypes and societal constructs get in the way of her success. Kynisca chartered her own path, broke glass ceilings and set new standards.
This ingenuity inspired the name for Kynisca Sports International, Ltd., the first woman-owned multi-team global organization dedicated to women’s football. Following the path Kynisca set thousands of years ago, we want to disrupt the female sports industry by trailblazing a new approach and removing obstacles that have gotten in the way of success.
Our own Kynisca story starts here, bringing together the Washington Spirit, OL Féminin and London City Lionesses.
But it will not stop here. We will continue to welcome new clubs, fans, ventures and cultures building a global franchise that takes female sports to a new level – just like Kynisca did at the Olympics.
Within Kynisca, the Kynisca Innovation Hub is our global platform dedicated to revolutionizing training methods, through innovation and education to unlock female athletic potential. We envision a future where females are trained as females, from recreational to elite athletes from puberty to postmenopause.
We could not be more excited to embark on this new journey together, for females, by females.
Led By
MICHELE KANG
Michele Kang is an American businesswoman, investor, and philanthropist. 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 to create 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.
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Michele Kang is an American businesswoman, investor, and philanthropist. 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 to create 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.
Michele Kang is an American businesswoman, investor, and philanthropist. 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 to create 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 create the first-of-its-kind global multi-team women’s football organization. She became the majority owner and CEO of the newly formed company, making it the first ever women-owned, women-led multi-football organization. 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. 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.
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Michele Kang is an American businesswoman, investor, and philanthropist. 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 to create 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 create the first-of-its-kind global multi-team women’s football organization. She became the majority owner and CEO of the newly formed company, making it the first ever women-owned, women-led multi-football organization. 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. 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.
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Leadership Team
Markel Zubizarreta
Global Sporting Director
Jonathan Hill
Chief Strategy Officer
Dawn Scott
Executive Director, Kynisca Innovation Hub
Theresa McDonnell
CEO, Kynisca Innovation Hub
Jeff O’Brien
Chief Legal Officer
Paul Morton
Chief Financial Officer
KENDALL CREAN
Chief of Staff
Bryan Dyal
Chief Information Officer
OUR CLUBS
By bringing multiple clubs together, we will make the biggest impact
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS
Created in 2004, OL Féminin is the most successful club in the French women’s championship with a unique record of 37 titles, including 16 French champion titles, 10 French Cups and 3 Champion Trophies. On an international scale, OL is also the only European club to have won the Women’s Champions League 8 times, including 5 consecutive years.
The Washington Spirit is the professional women’s football team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit were founded on November 21, 2012 and are an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the premier women’s football league in North America. The team won the NWSL championship in 2021 and were a runner-up in 2016.
Founded in 2019, London City Lionesses is London’s first independent professional Women’s Football Club. They compete in the Barclays Women’s Championship, the second tier of the women’s domestic game in England. As of the 24/25 season, London City have a new home in the London Borough of Bromley, playing all matches at Hayes Lane.
