Free Startup Runway Calculator Template

What’s inside

• Monthly burn and runway calculation
• Revenue growth and hiring plan inputs
• Fundraising date marker
• Works in Excel and Google Sheets

Who this template is for

Founders at pre-seed and seed stage who need a clear answer to three questions: how many months of runway do we have, when does the money run out, and when do we need to start raising? It is simple enough to build in an evening and credible enough to share with co-founders, advisers and investors.

What’s inside

• A Start Here tab explaining how the calculator works.
• Settings for company name, first month, cash in the bank, minimum cash buffer, monthly revenue today, revenue growth per month and how many months a raise usually takes.
• An 18-month forecast with revenue that grows automatically from today’s level at your growth rate.
• Lines for grants and R&D tax credits, funding received and other income, kept separate from revenue.
• Nine cost lines: salaries, contractors, hosting and software, marketing, office, legal and accounting, equipment, recruiting fees and other costs.
• Monthly net burn (excluding funding), runway left at the end of each month, and a flag for any month the balance goes below zero.
• A summary: average net burn over the first three months, runway with no new funding, the month cash runs out with your funding plan, the latest month to start raising, and the lowest balance.

How to use it

1. Enter cash in the bank, current monthly revenue and a realistic growth rate.
2. Enter salaries and planned hires in the months they start.
3. Add the other costs, including annual contracts and equipment for new hires.
4. Put funding in the month you realistically expect it to land, not when term sheets are signed.
5. Read the summary. If the start-raising date has already passed, the forecast is telling you something important.

The example shows a startup with about six and a half months of runway and a round arriving in month six, so the founders should already be raising.

How runway is calculated

Net burn is cash out minus cash in, excluding funding. Runway is cash in the bank divided by average net burn. Read more in how to calculate cash runway.

What founders use it for

Founders use it to set a hiring plan they can actually fund, to decide when to start conversations with investors, to show a board or advisers where the company stands, and to compare scenarios such as hiring two engineers now versus after the next round. Updating it each month with actual burn keeps the runway figure honest.

Excel and Google Sheets

Works in Excel and Google Sheets, with no macros.

When to upgrade

The premium Startup template adds a funding schedule for rounds, SAFEs, grants and debt, a 13-week view, a 3-year outlook, scenarios, actual vs forecast tracking and a dashboard.

Questions people ask

How do I calculate startup runway?

Divide cash in the bank by average monthly net burn, which is cash out minus cash in, excluding funding.

When should a startup start fundraising?

Most rounds take around six months from first meetings to money in the bank, so start while you still have at least six to nine months of runway.

Is this runway calculator free?

Yes. It’s free to download and use.

Does it work in Google Sheets?

Yes. Upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets.

Should funding be included in burn?

No. Net burn is calculated without funding, so a new round doesn’t hide how fast the company spends. Funding is added separately to the cash balance.