Capstone Project

Project Title: Comprehensive Business Analysis for a Tech Startup

Objective:

• To consolidate and apply various Excel skills learned throughout the course to conduct a comprehensive business analysis for a tech startup, including financial, operational, and market analysis.

Scenario:

• You are a consultant tasked with conducting a thorough business analysis for “InnovateTech,” a tech startup. Your analysis should cover financial health, operational efficiency, market positioning, and future growth opportunities.

Dataset Overview:

Download dataset here.

• Financial Data: Includes income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.
• Operational Data: Details on operational metrics like customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and operational expenses.
• Market Data: Information on market trends, competitor analysis, and customer demographics.

Tasks:

1. Financial Analysis

Objective: Assess the financial health of the tech startup.

Instructions:

• Load Data: Open the Tech Startup Financial Data Excel file.
• Income Statement Analysis:
  • Use Excel formulas to calculate key metrics like gross profit, net income, and profit margin for each month.
• Balance Sheet Analysis:
  • Analyze the company’s assets and liabilities to understand the financial stability.
• Cash Flow Analysis:
  • Evaluate the cash flow to identify trends in operational, investing, and financing activities.

2. Operational Efficiency

Objective: Evaluate operational metrics to identify areas for efficiency improvement.

Instructions:

• Load Data: Open the Tech Startup Operational Data Excel file.
• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC):
  • Calculate the average CAC over time and analyze trends.
• Lifetime Value (LTV):
  • Analyze the LTV of customers and compare it with CAC to assess the return on investment.
• Operational Expenses:
  • Review monthly operational expenses and identify any unusual fluctuations or trends.

3. Market Positioning

Objective: Understand the company’s position in the market and analyze market trends.

Instructions:

• Load Data: Open the Tech Startup Market Data Excel file.
• Market Growth Analysis:
  • Analyze market growth trends to gauge the overall market health.
• Competitor Analysis:
  • Evaluate competitor market share and position the startup in the competitive landscape.
• Customer Demographics:
  • Analyze customer demographic trends to understand the target market segments.

4. Growth Opportunities

Objective: Identify and recommend potential areas for growth based on the data analysis.

Instructions:

• Synthesizing Insights:
  • Combine insights from financial, operational, and market analyses.
• Identifying Opportunities:
  • Look for patterns or gaps that represent growth opportunities, such as new market segments, product innovations, or cost reduction strategies.
• Recommendations:
  • Develop actionable recommendations for the startup’s growth and expansion.

Deliverables:

• An Excel workbook with a comprehensive analysis of the startup.
• Various Excel techniques applied, including formulas, pivot tables, LOOKUP functions, and data visualization.
• A summary report with key findings, insights, and actionable recommendations.