Tampa Bay’s Pagidipati family makes record-breaking donation

When it comes to their philanthropy, Tampa serial entrepreneur and health care investor Sidd Pagidipati, together with his wife, endodontist Dr. Ami Pagidipati, always aim to go big. The Pagidipati family made headlines in April with one of the largest philanthropic donations in Tampa Bay history: $50 million to support building the Pagidipati Children’s Hospital at St. Joseph’s.

This tremendous contribution from Sidd and his two siblings, Rahul and Srujani, certainly among the largest health care donations in Florida, bears triple significance as it honors their parents, Drs. Devaiah and Rudrama Pagidipati, on three milestones: their 50th anniversary of immigrating to the United States; their 50th wedding anniversary; and their 50-year legacy in health care. The Pagidipati Children’s Hospital is expected to open in 2030.

Few gifts embody the Pagidipatis’ larger-than-life approach quite like ”Big John,” a 26-foot-long triceratops fossil they purchased for $7.7 million in October 2021. The dinosaur is now on loan at the Glazer Children’s Museum in downtown Tampa, helping to promote the organization’s dinosaur exhibit and increase museum attendance.

The Pagidipatis are parents of two young children and avidly prioritize educational opportunities, which is why their name is on the Pagidipati Center for Science, Engineering, and Technology at Berkeley Preparatory School. They are also partners in the massive redevelopment of the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA campus. This redevelopment will expand fitness, education and recreation programs and meet the needs of underserved communities even further by offering affordable housing. There will also be a hotel, office and retail space with a portion dedicated to minority-owned businesses.

The Pagidipatis are also known for making bold investments in real estate, including purchasing baseball legend Derek Jeter’s former Davis Islands home. The couple plans to start fresh and build a three-story, 30,200-square-foot waterfront home for their family.

Beyond local initiatives, the XPrize Foundation is a major recipient of the Pagidipatis’ philanthropy. Along with global billionaire Ratan Tata and Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Sidd contributes a minimum of $500,000 per year as a member of the Vision Circle.

He and his father, a Harvard-trained pediatric anesthesiologist, also co-founded Freedom Health Inc. with three employees. They grew the HMO into the largest privately owned Medicare Advantage plan in the country, with estimated revenue of $1.65 billion, before being sold in 2018.

Sidd, 48, and his family have continued to create and invest in health care and tech businesses, including Better Health Group (formerly Physician Partners); ZebPay, India’s first cryptocurrency exchange; and Brave browser, the world’s leading privacy browser. Their mission is focused on disrupting established industries with innovative technology or business models.

As great admirers of investment guru and philanthropist Warren Buffett, the Pagidipatis share similar principles, such as get better every day, lead by example, trust but verify, continuously measure for improvement and always do the right thing.

Below are some of their thoughts on philanthropy in their own words.

What propelled you to become leaders in philanthropy?

Tampa Bay has many local families that have been trailblazers in giving back to our community. We are just following in their footsteps. Our success has been built on the relentless drive to get better every day. Tampa Bay is our home, and we view our giving as an investment to help make our community better.

What causes and initiatives are most meaningful to you?

We have two ambitions for Tampa Bay. First, we want to help make Tampa Bay the best place in America to raise a family. Second, we want to help Tampa Bay become the healthiest city in America. Education helped my father and mother succeed, become physicians, immigrate to the United States and prosper here. We believe that investing in education and health (has) the highest returns to our community. That’s why Ami and I have supported causes such as Berkeley Prep, the Glazer Children’s Museum and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.

What advice would you give someone who could make a significant impact through philanthropy?

We live with an abundant mindset. Our advice is that the more you give, the more you get. Our family has found incredible joy in giving back and seeing the impact it has had in our community. When you meet the people and see their faces, you can’t help but want to do more. As the saying goes, the first step is the hardest. Once you start giving, you will want to do more.