Startup Runway Calculator
Find out how long your startup cash will last at current burn rate.
📅 Fundraising timing calculator
The biggest mistake founders make is starting to raise too late. Fundraising takes 3–6 months from first meeting to money in the bank. This calculator tells you when to start your next round based on how much runway you want after closing and your current burn rate.
🔬 Burn-rate scenario planner
See how different operational decisions — cutting costs, growing revenue, or combining both — change your runway. These are the six most common scenarios startup operators model when planning an extension.
📋 Startup funding stages & burn benchmarks
At each stage, investors expect different metrics and accept different burn rates. Knowing where your business sits — and what is normal at that stage — helps you make better decisions about hiring pace and spend.
| Stage | Typical round size | Monthly burn | Target runway | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-seed | $250K–$1M | $15K–$50K/mo | 18–24 months | Validate idea, find PMF, keep team small |
| Seed | $1M–$4M | $50K–$150K/mo | 18–24 months | Hire initial team, build MVP, first customers |
| Series A | $5M–$20M | $200K–$600K/mo | 18–24 months | Scale go-to-market, prove repeatable growth |
| Series B | $20M–$80M | $600K–$2M/mo | 18–24 months | Expand to new markets, build management layer |
| Series C+ | $80M+ | Varies widely | 24–36 months | Dominance, international expansion, potential IPO prep |
💡 6 ways to extend your startup runway
Every extra month of runway gives you more time to hit milestones, improve metrics, and raise from a position of strength rather than desperation. These strategies can add weeks or months without a layoff.
Most startups have 20–35% of their tool budget going to unused or underused SaaS subscriptions. Audit every recurring charge quarterly. A one-hour audit across a 20-person startup often uncovers $5,000–$20,000 in monthly savings with no operational impact.
Push annual contracts and large vendor payments from upfront to 30, 60, or 90-day terms. Offer slightly higher prices in exchange for better payment terms — most vendors accept. This does not reduce costs but dramatically improves cash-flow runway.
Offer customers a 2–5% discount for paying invoices early or switching from monthly to annual billing. The cost of the discount is almost always less than the value of having cash earlier — and far cheaper than raising a bridge round.
Government grants, R&D tax credits, innovation funds, and startup accelerator programmes provide cash without equity dilution. SBIR grants (US), Innovate UK grants, and cloud credits from AWS/GCP/Azure can add $50K–$500K of effective runway for qualifying companies.
Not all burn is equal. Rank your spending by revenue attribution and cut the lowest-performing 10–20% of spend. Channels with poor payback (long CAC payback periods) should be scaled back before cutting headcount, which is slower and more disruptive.
The fastest way to reduce burn is slowing headcount growth. A hiring freeze with a clear exception process (any hire must be approved against a specific revenue impact) cuts burn without eliminating existing capacity — unlike a layoff, which also destroys morale.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Results are estimates based on current inputs and assume constant burn and revenue. Real-world burn rates vary month to month. Runway calculations do not account for future investment rounds, revenue growth, or changes in expenses. This tool is for planning purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Runway (months) = Cash / Net Burn Rate Net Burn = Monthly expenses − Monthly revenue Rule of thumb: raise when you have 6–9 months runway left. Target 18–24 months after each round.