Denver Summit FC is owned by a group led by Rob Cohen, chairman and CEO of IMA Financial Group, who serves as the club’s controlling owner and league-designated governor. Mellody Hobson is the alternate governor, and the broader investor group includes Peyton Manning, Mikaela Shiffrin, Molly Coors, siblings Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Moritz through FirstTracks Sports Ventures LLC, Neelima Joshi, Dhiren Jhaveri, and private equity firm Cordillera Investment Partners. If you’ve been trying to figure out who owns Denver Summit FC, the short answer is a Colorado-anchored group with national sports and finance names layered on top.
The National Women’s Soccer League awarded Denver its 16th franchise on January 30, 2025, and the club began play in the 2026 season as Colorado’s first professional women’s soccer franchise.1NWSL Soccer. Denver, Colorado Awarded NWSL’s 16th Franchise
Rob Cohen, Controlling Owner and Governor
Cohen is both the largest individual investor and the club’s governor, the role the league recognizes as the ownership group’s decision-maker. His day job is running Denver-based IMA Financial Group, one of North America’s top 20 insurance brokerages, with roughly 3,000 employees.2IMA Financial Group. Robert L. Cohen Cohen has described the club’s mission as proving that investing in women’s sports at levels comparable to men’s can produce equally strong results on and off the field.
Mellody Hobson, Alternate Governor
Hobson chairs Ariel Investments and co-leads Project Level, an Ariel subsidiary focused on sports ownership, alongside former Washington Commanders president Jason Wright. Project Level’s involvement was part of the Denver bid from the beginning and was named in the NWSL’s official expansion announcement.1NWSL Soccer. Denver, Colorado Awarded NWSL’s 16th Franchise
The Full Investor Group
When the league announced the franchise, it named several additional investors in the original bid. FirstTracks Sports Ventures LLC, led by siblings Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Moritz, holds a stake. Neelima Joshi, Dhiren Jhaveri, and Molly Coors were also named in the founding group.1NWSL Soccer. Denver, Colorado Awarded NWSL’s 16th Franchise
Two well-known names joined after the initial announcement. Alpine skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin, a Colorado resident, came aboard in May 2025. Peyton Manning, the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who finished his career with the Denver Broncos, joined in June 2025.3Mesirow. Mesirow Arranges $40 Million Private Placement for Denver Summit FC, Marking Milestone for Women’s Professional Sports Private equity firm Cordillera Investment Partners also took a minority stake.
The group deliberately mixes Colorado business operators, national sports figures, and institutional investors. That breadth matters because NWSL expansion fees have climbed steeply, and Denver’s reported franchise cost represents a large jump over fees paid by teams that entered the league just a few years earlier.
The Grassroots Founders Still at the Table
The effort that became Denver Summit FC started in 2023 as a grassroots organizing group called For Denver FC. It was launched by three people: Tom Dunmore, a sports executive with experience in soccer startups; Ben Hubbard, an insurance executive; and Jordan Angeli, a former professional soccer player turned broadcaster who grew up playing in Colorado.
Nicole Glaros, a venture capitalist and former chief investment strategy officer at Techstars, joined as a co-founder and helped professionalize the bid. Glaros had experience raising and deploying over $100 million in early-stage venture capital, and she connected the group to a wider investor network. The original For Denver FC organizers remain part of the ownership through a special purpose vehicle Glaros helped structure, keeping the grassroots founders in the ownership group even as larger investors came aboard.