ExcelAt40 — Day 4: The Birth of Financial Modeling

When Excel launched in the late 1980s, it wasn’t just a new spreadsheet tool — it was the beginning of a revolution in financial modeling.

The =NPV() function became a cornerstone for analysts, enabling precise valuation of future cash flows without leaving the grid.

This wasn’t just a formula. It was a gateway to:

• 📈 Investment analysis
• 🏦 Corporate finance modeling
• 💼 Startup valuation

Excel empowered a generation of finance professionals to build models that shaped decisions, raised capital, and forecasted futures.

As we celebrate 40 years of Excel, we honor the formulas that built industries — starting with =NPV().