Dairo Isomura '06 Launches Search Fund Radien Legacy Partners

Isomura is partnering with Rafael Alfonzo (M.I.T. Sloan School of Management 2014, The George Washington Law School 1996) for his search. Alfonzo is a veteran search fund entrepreneur who sourced, acquired, and operated a managed service provider, Datum Technologies, that focused on the restaurant industry, serving primarily large chains. Isomura and Alfonzo previously worked together at Distributed Sun.

“We are looking to acquire and operate a business that is positioned well in a growing and fragmented industry, has recurring revenue from a diverse base, is low in capital intensity, has experienced middle management, and has solid labor relations with high retention rates. We are open-minded about the specific industry the business is in; rather, we care deeply about the underpinning economic characteristics. We value mission-driven companies with employees who are passionate about what they do.  We have strong interests in educational technology and renewable energy,” explained Isomura. “We are particularly curious about businesses that service the renewable energy space where Rafael and I both have experience.”

Prior to co-founding RLP, Isomura worked seven years at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and its successor entity, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), as an investment officer assisting U.S. businesses expand into emerging market countries. At OPIC, Dairo originated, structured, and closed more than $2 billion in project and corporate financings in the Indo-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. Isomura’s finance experience also includes five years at WestLB AG, New York, a top energy banking and project finance firm where he closed more than $5 billion in structured financings across 20+ transactions in North and Latin America. Isomura was the Senior Director of Finance at Distributed Sun, the commercial solar developer and operator start-up co-founded by Alfonzo. Isomura’s day-to-day role at Distributed Sun entailed managing the finance department, helping to raise the firm’s Series B financing, and identifying institutional financiers for the projects it developed.

Isomura believes that launching a search fund is a compelling way to become an entrepreneur. “I have built a strong skillset through my corporate, government, and start-up experience, and I am ready to apply them to something more entrepreneurial. A search fund will get me into the CEO role quickly, and purchasing a going concern with a profitable and proven business model makes a ton of sense to me. I am thrilled to be working with Rafael and with smart and supportive investors who know the model and process. This is going to be an exciting new chapter.”

Yale was a transformational experience for Isomura. “I look back on my SOM experience with very fond memories. It was a great education encompassing both broad, theoretical concepts and their specific, practical application. After Yale, I felt ready to be a leader and to use the tools I acquired while in school. I am even more enthusiastic now about using my professional and educational experiences in my own project. It is a dream come true and the culmination of many previous chapters,” commented Isomura. “I made great friends at Yale and learned as much outside the classroom as inside. I still rely on my Yale classmates and professors for personal and professional guidance. Those relationships are important and have stayed with me. Yale is a special community, and I hope I can give back to the community by helping current and future students with internships and jobs.”