The main project I worked on was Ilara’s clinic-in-a-box model — a comprehensive bundle offering for primary care clinics comprising diagnostic devices, other medical equipment, renovations, drugs, software for efficient clinic operations, and marketing services. The clinic-in-a-box model is the next step in Ilara’s long-term mission of disrupting Africa’s primary healthcare ecosystem. The project is critical to Ilara and its upcoming Series B fundraising round.

The first palpable thing I did was build out the product. Ilara had two existing trial clinics — I went into these clinics to gather detailed information, sat down with architects experienced in building hospitals and medical clinics, and dug through all bills associated with the two trial clinics to come up with a list of possible interventions. Based on those, I built out three different transformation models (light, medium, heavy) and estimated the approximate upfront and ongoing costs for each. Once there was clarity on the product, I went to clinics to speak with clinic owners to get feedback and assess interest in the product. This soon turned into full-on partnership discussions. Hence, I built out a (sales) pitch deck. In total, I visited 25 clinics within Ilara’s existing network. In this process, I trained two employees to continue the commercial efforts and constitute the new sales team. We identified eight high-potential clinics interested in the product and were a good fit for Ilara. We then did financial due diligence on those clinics, drafted a contract, and entered the negotiation process. Since the process took longer than expected, I tried to streamline the conversion process, hoping that Ilara could now convert over 50 percent high potential clinics. Another aspect of this project was the clinic-in-a-box model’s financial model for the upcoming Series B. Based on the data collected during the clinic visits, I built out an estimate for costs and revenues over three to five years of partnership between Ilara and its partner clinics.

Next, I worked on a dataset combining all Ilara’s databases (CRM, database on devices sold, database on device usage data) into one. On the one hand, this was very useful in identifying potential partners for Ilara’s clinic-in-a-box model. On the other hand, the CEO realized that much more could be done with this data. Hence, I spent much time with the tech team trying to automate my manual process and helping them think through how this data could be used to create an impact story for investors and build some early analysis.

The experience at Ilara provided an ideal testing ground to apply the skillset I developed during my MBA/MPH dual degree. My work at Ilara’s office was heavily based on an MBA skillset. I got the ability to take on a leadership role and guide the team through the whole process of operationalization: from product definition to setting up actual clinics. I could rely on my business analytics and SQL and python lectures for the project on combining datasets. The modeling aspect of my work was closely related to the exercises I did in classes such as Corporate Finance or Value Investing.On the other hand, the work in the field was very much based on my MPH degree. The interaction with clinic directors/doctors required me to take on a holistic view of a country’s healthcare system. It truly felt like I got to implement an actual public health intervention, about whom I had previously only theorized in classes such as Public Health Interventions, Global & Development Perspectives, Health Systems, or Integration of Science and Practice.

I faced many challenges related to the nature of the company I worked at (a startup and social enterprise) and the environment I worked in (sub-Saharan Africa). A massive challenge at the start proved to be the fact that Ilara was not as advanced in the development of their clinic-in-a-box model as they had planned. Initially, I was supposed to work on the scale-up of the model and help them directly with their Series B. However, due to delays, they could only set up one of the planned five trial clinics by the time I arrived, and the Series B had to be postponed by half a year. Hence, upon my arrival, I had to reassess the situation and think through a new work plan of how I could best help the team and the company.

On top of that, I had to learn that despite being the third largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya still has a lot of social, political, and economic shortcomings that regularly got in my way at work. My time coincided with the presidential elections. It turns out that Kenya plunged into a slight recession already several months before the actual election day due to risks of potential instability following the election. This had massive implications for Ilara’s expansion plans, as clinics were way more risk averse as they saw their patient numbers decline (people preferred to postpone medical appointments until after elections). Another example was the lack of infrastructure, which often made it extremely difficult to reach and track clinics in the middle of slums or remote areas.

I learned a lot during my time in Kenya. Staying abroad for a while was not only a tremendous internal motivational factor, but I also believe it to be invaluable for my personal development. The chance to build firsthand experience of cultures and economies worldwide is a distinctive part of my value proposition — not only for future employers but also for my clients at McKinsey. They increasingly expect global expertise and insight as table stakes. As such, this experience will assist me in the short-term in my role as a consultant after business school and the long-term when my journey goes beyond consulting into the corporate world to make the most meaningful contribution to healthcare. Experiencing Kenya’s healthcare system first-hand was an eye-opening experience. Seeing Kenyans’ hardships and the many barriers corporations need to deal with while doing business gave me much understanding of the intrinsic economies in sub-Saharan Africa. As such, I reached all my goals, and I believe this experience to have been invaluable and truly unique. I also gained much respect for people that set up and run successful businesses in sub-Saharan Africa.