Y. Michele Kang, founder and CEO of Cognosante, a health IT company, never thought that she would one day be an influential figure in women’s soccer. Now, she has big dreams of changing the world of the sport.
Ms. Kang says, “I don’t think I’ve been as passionate about anything as I am now about women’s soccer.”
Ms. Kang grew up in Seoul, where her parents demanded excellence in academics from her. She began to study business and economics and decided to move to America, the center of the business world. After graduating from Yale School of Management with a master’s degree, she began a 30-year journey.
At first, she planned on gaining experience to join a large company, but in 2008, she instead decided to begin her own company: Cognosante, which would grow to become a multi-million-dollar conglomerate and make Michele Kang’s name famous in the business world.
In March 2022, she purchased the Washington Spirit, a national women’s soccer team, becoming the first woman of color to own one. The Washington Spirit had faced upheaval at the time of the change in ownership. Their last coach, Richie Burke, had been fired and banned from working with any other soccer players on charges of verbal abuse. The Washington Spirit itself had been suspended by the National Women’s Soccer League. After buying the soccer team, Ms. Kang began to make what she felt were necessary changes.
“We don’t feel that women are small men,” she says at Audi Field, “We are not going to borrow a manual from the men’s soccer team. We want to understand women’s physiology and biology and train our athletes according to that.”
Ms. Kang says, “I don’t think I’ve been as passionate about anything as I am now about women’s soccer.”
Ms. Kang grew up in Seoul, where her parents demanded excellence in academics from her. She began to study business and economics and decided to move to America, the center of the business world. After graduating from Yale School of Management with a master’s degree, she began a 30-year journey.
At first, she planned on gaining experience to join a large company, but in 2008, she instead decided to begin her own company: Cognosante, which would grow to become a multi-million-dollar conglomerate and make Michele Kang’s name famous in the business world.
In March 2022, she purchased the Washington Spirit, a national women’s soccer team, becoming the first woman of color to own one. The Washington Spirit had faced upheaval at the time of the change in ownership. Their last coach, Richie Burke, had been fired and banned from working with any other soccer players on charges of verbal abuse. The Washington Spirit itself had been suspended by the National Women’s Soccer League. After buying the soccer team, Ms. Kang began to make what she felt were necessary changes.
“We don’t feel that women are small men,” she says at Audi Field, “We are not going to borrow a manual from the men’s soccer team. We want to understand women’s physiology and biology and train our athletes according to that.”