In my current role as a Financial Analyst at Alpha Investments, I frequently use Excel to create and improve financial models. One project that stands out is when I developed a model for our Private Equity Investments. The financial model needed to incorporate various scenarios, which included different capital structures, multiple tranches of debt, and varying exit multiples.
To develop the model, I leveraged Excel's advanced capabilities, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP, and INDEX MATCH functions to organize raw data and Goal Seek to optimize the capital structure. The model also used Monte Carlo simulations built with VBA to run multiple scenarios.
The model proved to be extremely valuable to our firm. It provided us with a robust, flexible tool to evaluate potential investments and exit strategies. Consequently, based on the model's insights, we managed to optimize our investment portfolio leading to an improved IRR by 3% on our PE portfolio.