C.E. described each project honestly, from proposal to operation.
He had substantial renewable-energy finance experience, but several projects were still delayed or in development, and their full scale wasn’t his result. We helped him label each project accurately and plan a realistic path into investment.
The starting point
A Kenyan renewable-energy finance professional, applying after eight years in project and infrastructure finance
Career direction
Energy infrastructure investment and project development
An anonymized student journey, shared with initials.
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of C.E.
C.E. evaluated project models, coordinated due diligence, and worked with developers and lenders on renewable-energy deals in East Africa. Several projects were delayed or restructured before financing closed. His early résumé highlighted total megawatts and capital values that implied completed impact and control he didn’t have, and his goals jumped straight to leading a regional fund.
HOW WE HELPED
We helped him separate project scale from his contribution and plan the roles that come before fund leadership.
Project models and due diligence.
He evaluated financial models and coordinated due diligence on renewable-energy deals.
Developers and lenders.
He worked alongside the developers and lenders who shape whether projects get financed.
Delays and restructurings.
Several projects were delayed or restructured before financing closed.
THE DELAYED DEAL
A delayed deal was stronger evidence than the size of the pipeline.
One delayed transaction showed him changing a financial assumption after local operating evidence contradicted the model.
THE MODEL
An assumption that looked sound.
The financial model rested on an assumption that seemed reasonable.
→
THE EVIDENCE
Local operations said otherwise.
Evidence from the ground contradicted the model.
→
HIS CHANGE
He revised the assumption.
He changed the model rather than defend a cleaner but less useful version, and the project stayed delayed.
LETRADO’S ROLE
We challenged borrowed scale and rushed career plans. He verified every figure and project status, removed confidential terms, and wrote all his applications.
HOW WE WORKED TOGETHER
Preparation matched honest claims with a financially careful plan.
Leaving work meant losing income and stepping away from an active network. Because he planned to return to East Africa, U.S. salaries couldn’t justify the cost.
Every project labeled accurately.
He described each as proposed, financed, or operating, and focused on his own tasks and decisions.
A realistic sequence
His plan named roles in infrastructure investment or project development before any ambition to lead a fund.
Scholarships prepared alongside.
He prepared scholarship applications at the same time as his admission materials.
Staying was an option too
He compared the MBA with staying in his role for another round of deals.
Programs compared for a return home.
He compared finance depth, energy resources, one- and two-year formats, recruiting, visa rules, alumni in Africa, and financial support.
Regional links mattered
The strength of each school’s connections in Africa was central to whether the degree made sense.
Yale offered financial support and a longer path into investment.
C.E. was also admitted to INSEAD and Cambridge Judge. He chose the Yale School of Management, with financial support, for the fit between finance, management, and public-purpose institutions.
Financial support and an internship.INSEAD’s one-year format minimized time away, but Yale’s two years allowed an internship before his next role.
A plan to return to the region.Returning to East Africa remained the plan, not a slogan.
