Startup Runway Calculator

Model how long a startup’s cash lasts given burn, revenue growth and the month it turns cash positive.

About Startup Runway Calculator

Break-even arrives only if revenue compounds faster than costs; the crossover month comes from the ratio of the two growth rates. The cash needed to get there is roughly the average monthly deficit over that span, which is why it is far less than burn times months. A plan where costs grow as fast as revenue never reaches break-even at any scale, and that shows up in this calculation long before it shows up in the bank balance.

Formula

Startup Runway

Break-even month solves revenue × (1+g)^n = costs × (1+c)^n for n

g: Monthly revenue growth
c: Monthly cost growth

Worked example

With the default values below, Startup Runway Calculator returns Runway of 12.5. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Cash in the bankminimum 0: 1,500,000
Monthly operating costsminimum 0: 180,000
Current monthly revenueminimum 0: 60,000
Monthly revenue growthaccepts 0–100 %: 10 %
Monthly cost growthaccepts 0–100 %: 3 %

Results

Runway: 12.5 months
Month Revenue Covers Costs: 17
Net Burn Today: $120,000.00
Cash Needed to Reach Break-Even: $1,122,000.00
Verdict: Funded to break-even on current trajectory

Step by step

1Values used
2Startup Runway
3Runway= 12.5 months
4Month Revenue Covers Costs= 17
5Net Burn Today= 120,000.00
6Cash Needed to Reach Break-Even= 1,122,000.00
7Verdict= Funded to break-even on current trajectory

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Startup Runway calculated?

Break-even month solves revenue × (1+g)^n = costs × (1+c)^n for n Break-even arrives only if revenue compounds faster than costs; the crossover month comes from the ratio of the two growth rates. The cash needed to get there is roughly the average monthly deficit over that span, which is why it is far less than burn times months.

Why does Startup Runway matter?

A plan where costs grow as fast as revenue never reaches break-even at any scale, and that shows up in this calculation long before it shows up in the bank balance.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 5 inputs: Cash in the bank, Monthly operating costs, Current monthly revenue, Monthly revenue growth, Monthly cost growth. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.