Our Firm

Dr. Kiran Patel serves as an Advisory Partner. 

Dr. Patel is a serial entrepreneur who founded, and recently exited, America’s 1^st Choice (which company included Freedom Health and Optimum Healthcare, Inc. - two award-winning health maintenance organizations providing managed care benefits to Medicare recipients), for a price in excess of $1 billion to Anthem, Inc.  Dr. Patel began his career in private practice. He quickly became recognized as a pre-eminent cardiologist and established a physician practice management company, which he grew to over 20 physicians and multiple locations. Dr. Patel subsequently entered the managed care industry and was Chairman of WellCare of Florida. While at WellCare, he acquired struggling HMOs in New York and Connecticut and helped build the company into the largest Medicaid health insurance company in Florida and fifth largest in the U.S. When Dr. Patel exited in 2002, WellCare had over $1 billion in revenue, over 450,000 members and 1,200 employees. After leaving WellCare, Dr. Patel was subject to a non-compete agreement and thus became involved in healthcare informatics. He was a key investor in ikaSystems, Inc., a provider of cloud computing solutions to the managed care industry. Dr. Patel oversaw a 3,000% increase in revenue at ikaSystems before exiting the investment in 2007.

Dr. Patel is a board-certified cardiologist and completed his fellowship in Cardiology at Columbia University in 1982. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine in New Jersey after obtaining a medical degree from Gujarat University in India and completing an internship in Africa. Born in Zambia, Dr. Patel studied under the British Educational System in Zambia and received a diploma from Cambridge University in United Kingdom. He also completed studies at the University of London.

Dr. Patel is the founder of the Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel Family Foundation, which supports projects related to health, education, and the arts across three continents. In 2005, the Foundation made a $200 million donation to Nova Southeastern University. The Foundation also donated significant money to support the Pepin Heart Hospital Research Institute as well as the Performing Arts Center, which was renamed the Dr. Pallavi Patel Conservatory for Performing Arts.

Among the honors and awards that Dr. Patel has received are the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Southeast U.S., Jefferson Award for Public Service-National Media Award, Community Leader Award-Community Development Corporation of Tampa, Lions Clubs International Academy Award for Humanitarian Service, and Ike Tribble Award from National Urban League. In January 2007, Dr. Patel was honored with the “Glory of Gujarat” award from the Chief Minister of his home State in India, and in May 2007, Dr. Patel received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for Exceptional Immigrant Patriots.