Startup Runway Calculator
How many months until the money runs out? This free online startup runway calculator takes your cash, burn, planned hires and revenue growth and gives you the exact zero-cash date, your start-fundraising-by deadline, and best/base/worst scenarios side by side. No signup, no download — everything runs 100% in your browser.
Your numbers
Planned hires
Each hire adds (annual salary ÷ 12) × headcount to payroll from their start month onward.
| Role | Start mo. | Count | Annual salary |
|---|
Result
Burn breakdown
Month 1
Month 12
Cash projection
Month-by-month projection
| Mo | Payroll | Opex | Revenue | Net burn | Cash left |
|---|
Scenario comparison
Tweak growth and costs per scenario — the table recomputes live. Defaults: Worst = no growth + 30% higher opex; Best = +6pp growth, 15% lower opex.
The startup runway calculator formula
Runway (months) = cash on hand ÷ net monthly burn
That flat formula is correct when nothing changes — for example, $1.2M in the bank with a $100K net burn is exactly 12 months of runway. But startups change constantly: you hire, revenue grows (or doesn't), costs creep. A flat division can't handle that, so this calculator simulates month by month: each month it applies that month's payroll (including every hire whose start month has arrived), compounds revenue at your growth rate, subtracts the resulting net burn from the balance, and stops at the exact month the balance crosses zero — then interpolates inside that month to pin down the calendar date.
How much runway should a startup have?
The venture-capital rule of thumb is 18–24 months after each fundraise. The logic: it takes roughly 18 months to hit the milestones that justify the next round, and fundraising itself takes 3–6 months — so you want to start the process with about 6 months of cash left, from a position of strength. As a rough guide:
- Under 12 months — critical. You should already be fundraising or cutting burn.
- 12–18 months — tight. Workable, but start planning the next raise now.
- 18–24 months — healthy. The standard target.
- Over 24 months — comfortable. Room to take bigger swings.
Startup runway calculator example
A seed-stage SaaS startup has $1.2M cash, $80K monthly payroll, $20K other costs and $0 revenue: net burn is $100K/month, so runway is exactly 12.0 months. Now it plans to hire 2 engineers at $120K/year starting month 3 — that adds $20K/month from month 3 onward. Months 1–2 burn $100K ($200K total), leaving $1M; at $120K/month that lasts 8.33 more months, for a total runway of 10.3 months. Two hires cost nearly two months of runway — the hiring table above makes trade-offs like this visible instantly.
Startup runway calculator Excel template & spreadsheet
Looking for a startup runway calculator Excel template or spreadsheet you can download? Instead of a static template you have to wire up yourself, use the Export CSV (Excel) button above: it downloads the full month-by-month projection — payroll, opex, revenue, net burn and cash balance — as a CSV that opens directly in Excel or Google Sheets, free. You get the spreadsheet without building the formulas, and the live calculator stays in sync with every input change.
Many founders search for the best startup runway calculator — free, online, with revenue modeling and a downloadable spreadsheet template. That is exactly what this page is: a startup runway calculator, free online, with revenue and hiring scenarios built in, plus a one-click startup runway calculator spreadsheet template via CSV export. The startup runway calculator with revenue modeling above compounds your MRR monthly, so growth actually moves your zero-cash date instead of being ignored.
Best startup runway calculator: comparison
| This tool | marxissolution.com | Typical Excel template | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic cash ÷ burn | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (you build it) |
| Hiring scenarios | ✅ planned hires by month | ❌ | ⚠️ manual formulas |
| Revenue growth modeling | ✅ compounding monthly | ❌ | ⚠️ manual formulas |
| Exact zero-cash date | ✅ interpolated | ❌ months only | ⚠️ if you build it |
| Fundraising deadline | ✅ zero − 6 months | ❌ | ❌ |
| Best/base/worst compare | ✅ live | ❌ | ⚠️ multiple sheets |
| CSV export for Excel | ✅ one click | ❌ | n/a (it is Excel) |
| Privacy | ✅ 100% in-browser | ✅ | ✅ |
Checked October 2026. Competitor features change; this table reflects what was observable then.
Frequently asked questions
What does "startup runway" mean?
Startup runway is how long a company can keep operating before its cash runs out, usually expressed in months — that is the runway startup meaning in one sentence. If you have $1.2M in the bank and spend a net $100K per month, your runway is 12 months. Founders track it because it answers the most important planning question: when must we become profitable or raise more money?
How do you calculate startup runway?
The basic startup runway formula is: runway (months) = cash on hand / net monthly burn, where net burn = (payroll + other operating costs) − revenue. That flat formula is fine when nothing changes. When you plan hires or expect revenue to grow, a month-by-month simulation is more accurate — which is what the calculator above does: it walks forward month by month, applies each hire and compounds revenue growth, and finds the exact month your balance crosses zero.
How much runway should a startup have?
The common venture-capital rule of thumb is 18–24 months of runway after a fundraise: enough to hit the next set of milestones with a buffer, since fundraising itself takes 3–6 months. Under 12 months is generally considered critical — you should already be fundraising or cutting burn. 12–18 months is tight but workable. These are conventions, not laws: a profitable or bootstrapped company plays by different rules.
How does revenue change the runway calculation?
Revenue offsets burn: net burn = gross spend − revenue. A startup spending $100K/month with $40K of monthly revenue has a net burn of $60K, so $1.2M lasts 20 months instead of 12. If revenue is growing, the effect compounds — each month's burn is smaller than the last, which stretches runway more than a flat average suggests. Enter your monthly revenue and expected monthly growth rate above to model this.
How do new hires affect runway?
Every hire adds their monthly salary cost (annual salary ÷ 12) to payroll starting in their start month, which increases net burn and shortens runway from that month onward. Two engineers at $140K/year add about $23.3K/month to burn. Use the hiring table above to add planned hires with start months and see exactly how each one moves your zero-cash date.
What is the zero-cash date?
The zero-cash date (also called the cash-out date) is the calendar date your bank balance is projected to hit zero, given your current burn, planned hires and revenue growth. The calculator interpolates within the final month, so you get an actual date — for example 2027-10-06 — instead of just "12 months".
When should a startup start fundraising?
Start fundraising about 6 months before your zero-cash date. Raising a round typically takes 3–6 months of pitching, diligence and legal work, and you want leverage — negotiating with 2 months of cash left is a weak position. The calculator shows a "start fundraising by" date, which is simply your zero-cash date minus 6 months.
What is the difference between gross burn and net burn?
Gross burn is everything you spend per month (payroll + rent + tools + everything else). Net burn is gross burn minus revenue — the amount your bank balance actually drops each month. Runway is always calculated from net burn, because revenue offsets spending. A company with $150K gross burn and $150K revenue has zero net burn and (in theory) infinite runway.
Can a startup have infinite runway?
Yes — when net burn is zero or negative, meaning revenue covers (or exceeds) all costs. The calculator flags this as "profitable" instead of a month count. In practice, most startups aiming for hyper-growth choose to keep burning to grow faster, so "infinite runway" usually means the company reached default-alive status.
How is this different from a simple cash-divided-by-burn calculator?
Simple calculators assume your burn never changes. This one simulates month by month: planned hires raise payroll in their start month, revenue compounds at your growth rate, and the zero-cash date is interpolated to an exact calendar date. It also compares best/base/worst scenarios side by side and exports the full projection to CSV — things a single-division calculator cannot do.
How is this different from marxissolution.com or an Excel template?
Marxissolution.com and similar indie calculators do the basic cash ÷ burn division with no hiring or revenue-growth modeling. Excel templates can model scenarios but you have to build the formulas yourself and they are easy to break. This tool gives you the scenario modeling of a good spreadsheet with zero setup: hiring plans, compounding revenue growth, an exact zero-cash date, a fundraising deadline and a one-click CSV export you can open in Excel.
What monthly revenue growth rate should I assume?
Use your actual trailing growth if you have revenue — compute it from the last 3–6 months of MRR. Early-stage startups often see 5–15% monthly growth; be honest rather than optimistic in your base case and put the optimistic number in the "best" scenario. The scenario comparison exists precisely so you don't have to bet the plan on one growth number.
What if we raise money before the zero-cash date?
That is the normal plan — the calculator tells you when you must have the money by, not that you will actually run out. Model the raise by increasing cash on hand (or model a bridge round as a cash injection in a given month by adjusting inputs). The "start fundraising by" date assumes you want the round closed before cash hits zero.
Is my financial data sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs 100% in your browser — the page makes zero network requests after loading. Your cash balance, salaries and projections never leave your device. There is no account, no signup and nothing is stored.
Is this financial advice?
No. This is a planning and arithmetic tool, not financial advice. Runway math is only as good as its inputs — growth rates, hiring plans and costs are all estimates. Talk to your accountant or CFO before making fundraising or spending decisions.