Meet Allen Kamrava | Physician, Surgeon, Tech-Founder, Business Advisor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allen Kamrava and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allen, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is a significant part of entrepreneurship. In some ways, it is the foundational difference between an employed individual and one who is self-employed. When employed, the risk to their income is somewhat on a binary scale. As long as the company is not bankrupt, he can remain reasonably confident that each pay cycle will result in a consistent cash flow as income.

There is no such guarantee for the self-employed individual. The last person to get paid by the self-employed is the individual himself. All employees are paid first, contracts are paid, and only with what is left over, and if it is left over, will there be a decision on cash flow for the self-employed.

This is the foundational risk of being self-employed. Every decision within the business, such as how to deploy assets, what loans to undertake, whom to hire, what deals to pursue, etc., compounds the total risk of the business and ultimately affects the financial sustainability of any business venture.

There is no such thing as a self-employed individual who is completely risk-averse. It is an oxymoron. There are varying degrees of risk, but every person who files articles of incorporation, every single one of them, accepts risk to some level when filing their business.

A risk-averse person receives W9s.

Given that risk is foundational, the question is not whether risk exists in a business venture but how each leader takes on additional risk and to what level. In a general sense, some could argue that the greater the risk, the greater the reward, and while there is truth to this thought, it is by no means the rule.

As a child, my parents raised me never to gamble—there were no lotteries and no tables in Vegas. I look back at this teaching and believe that it may not have been the perfect lesson for each child, and it may have, in fact, hampered me from taking some risks that are necessary for business.

When business owners take risks, they do not typically do so in a vacuum. There are numerous variables in that equation: who the other players are, what the market is like, what my product market fit is, what rates are, what the political climate is, what the regulatory environment is, etc. However, the most critical factor in all of it is their assessment of themselves in their ability to achieve, their tenacity, and also their ability to properly assess risk, with proper self-awareness of their prior failures and why they occurred.

Many will advise young aspiring entrepreneurs that the greatest business success stories were only achieved after a series of countless failures. There is so much truth to this, and it reflects the concept that successful entrepreneurs take risks, thus failing, but most importantly, they possess the tenacity and ability to reflect on and adapt from those prior failures.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’ve always believed that medicine should be deeply personal and innovative at its core, and that’s really what drives my work as a surgeon every day. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on building genuine, warm relationships with my patients—so much so that hugging in the exam room is often more common than a handshake. I want my patients to feel heard, supported, and confident in the care they’re receiving. That personal connection is something I’m most proud of; it sets the tone for everything else I do.

Beyond the bedside, I’ve invested a great deal of time and energy into pioneering new techniques and procedures, often by looking to what other countries are successfully doing—even if those methods aren’t yet widely recognized or practiced in the United States. I believe innovation knows no boundaries, and if there’s a treatment that holds promise for improving patient outcomes, I’ll do the research, adapt it responsibly, and advocate for its use here. Sometimes that means facing initial skepticism or navigating regulatory hurdles, but ultimately it’s about offering patients the best possible solutions for their conditions.

Getting to where I am today has been filled with both challenges and triumphs. In the early stages, convincing institutions and peers to consider novel approaches took persistence, data, and a willingness to have countless conversations. There were roadblocks—funding, approvals, gaining patient trust in something not yet mainstream—but I overcame them by building a strong support system among like-minded colleagues and by focusing on transparent communication with my patients. When people see you’re genuinely committed to providing them with the safest, most effective treatments, they often become your biggest allies.

The lessons I’ve learned along the way include the importance of staying open-minded, trusting your instincts when evidence points to a better way, and never losing sight of the human being behind the diagnosis. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in healthcare, and we have to be willing to adapt, innovate, and occasionally break the mold to deliver the quality of care every patient deserves.

Ultimately, my story is about bridging cutting-edge science with heartfelt compassion. I want the world to know that it’s possible to be at the forefront of medical advances while still treating each patient like a member of the family. That’s the legacy—and the message—I hope to share through my brand and practice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I advise them to stay at a Santa Monica hotel near the beach. I am an amateur triathlete, so much of my work revolves around outdoor activities.

We would spend a morning biking down to Manhattan Beach, stopping at the pier, going up the street to Blue Stone Lane Coffee, and then biking back up the beach path. We’d grab lunch at HiHo in Santa Monia for a truly good burger. Dinner would be a free night, but if they asked for suggestions, in Los Angeles, there are plenty—Forma, South Beverly Grill, and Casia, to name a few (of so many).

I’d suggest a morning run – my three favorite running routes are the UCLA Perimeter (3.9 miles), running the circumference of the Beverly Hills Flats (~6.5 miles), or when an event is nearing, what my friends and I call “Franklin and the Tree (~7 miles), wherein we start our run at the bottom of Franklin Canyon at the gate, run up to Mulholland, back down to the bottom of Tree People, and back again.

For lunch, I’d suggest sitting back at home, ordering Goop to our home, and hanging by the pool for the day, if not cooking some smash burgers at home. If our friend has children, I’d recommend doing the Escape Rooms at Century City Shopping Center, which I have found to be of extremely high-quality design.

Swimming in LA — most often, you can find me, between May and October, swimming on Friday mornings at the famous Tower 26. My friends and I will typically start at Tower 26, run to the renowned rainbow tower, about 1 mile away, and then get into the Ocean and swim it back to Tower 26. Showering on the beach with the sun rising from the West is a must, and a quick stop at any of the local coffee shops on Main thereafter is a must.

Daytime hiking through the week, I’d take them to Franklin Canyon, Tree People, and Runyon Canyon.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My father passed away just over 8 years ago. He was a refugee who came to America with honestly nothing. I was young but old enough to remember the struggles he withstood to take his family from truly destitute to where we are today, which is financially comfortable and stable. He modeled a life well lived for me, one of virtue, hard work, and, most importantly, family. He indeed was an inspiration and a role model.

Website: https://www.pilonidalexpert.com/

Instagram: @pilonidalexpert

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenkamrava/

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoBXUUEJmlPicty7IU_He3g