Thanks for sharing your profile, @Jaime Martinez de Luco. Your profile seems competitive, but differentiation will decide outcomes at H/S.

About the schools:
Harvard- You fit the “investor + operator” mold. Risk is too common (McKinsey + finance + PE goal).
Stanford- Needs deep personal narrative + “why you?” clarity. Chances can be less if introspection is shallow.
Wharton- Good fit academically + career-wise. PE pipeline + prior finance = alignment.
Columbia- Good feeder into PE. Early decision could significantly boost odds.
INSEAD- Background aligns well with their consulting/investing pipeline.

Your strengths:
1. Elite + coherent career trajectory- S&T > McKinsey PEPI > PE. This is textbook progression, and schools love that.
2. High academic horsepower- 3.94 GPA + ICAI rigor = no concerns.
3. Strong geography angle- Spain/Europe adds diversity vs Indian/US-heavy pools.
4. Exposure to investing + operations- PEPI work = rare hybrid skillset.

This is your biggest differentiator if positioned correctly.

Things holding you back (This matters)
1. “Generic PE candidate” risk- Your story currently reads like “Finance > Consulting > PE > MBA > PE.” This is EXTREMELY common at HBS/GSB. You need a clear investing thesis OR a unique lens (sector/geography/strategy).

2. Entrepreneurship is under-leveraged- You mentioned Pazzle (AI parking startup). But schools will ask:
Did you scale it?
Did it generate revenue?
What was YOUR leadership?

Right now, it sounds like a side project, not a spike.

3. Leadership narrative is unclear- Top schools care less about “I analyzed EBITDA growth.” More about “I influenced, led, changed outcomes.” You need leadership under ambiguity, people leadership, and initiative beyond role.

4. Post-MBA goal needs sharpening- Your goal “Private equity investing with value creation.” This is correct, but too broad/overused. You need specificity like sector (climate tech? SaaS? industrials?), geography (Europe mid-market?), and strategy (operational turnaround vs growth equity?).

Positioning:
You need to shift from “I want to do PE” to something like “I want to build an investment platform focused on X, leveraging my experience in Y to solve Z inefficiency.” Example directions: climate/energy transition in Europe, industrial digitization (fits ICAI + PEPI), or mobility (ties to Pazzle, strong angle).

You can also explore other schools, such as Booth, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, LBS, or HEC Paris.

You’re in a pool of McKinsey consultants, finance professionals, and PE aspirants. Differentiation is EVERYTHING.

Questions for you to reflect upon:
What impact has Pazzle actually had? (users, revenue, traction?)
Have you led teams or people at McKinsey?
Any promotions/fast-track signals?
What sectors do you want to invest in long-term?
Why MBA if you're already in PE-related work?
Any social impact/volunteering?

We’d love to learn more about your academic background, extracurricular activities, work experience, and personal journey so that we can provide a tailored profile evaluation and an honest school assessment. Feel free to book an evaluation session.

Cheers!
Shantanu Sharma, INSEAD Alumnus
Founder and Admissions Consultant, MBA and Beyond