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💰 Startup Runway Calculator

Calculate how many months of runway you have and get personalized recommendations

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Total cash in bank

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Total monthly expenses

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Optional: monthly income

What is a Startup Runway Calculator?

A startup runway calculator is a financial planning tool that helps founders and business owners determine how many months their company can operate before running out of cash. By analyzing your current cash balance, monthly expenses (burn rate), and incoming revenue, this calculator provides a clear timeline for your business sustainability and helps you make informed decisions about fundraising, cost management, and growth strategies.

Why Tracking Runway is Critical for Business Success

Understanding your runway is essential for several strategic reasons:

  • Prevents Cash Crises: Knowing your runway helps you avoid the catastrophic situation of running out of money unexpectedly. Most businesses need 3-6 months to secure funding, so tracking runway ensures you start fundraising before it's too late.
  • Informs Strategic Decisions: Your runway directly impacts hiring decisions, marketing spend, product development timelines, and expansion plans. With clear visibility, you can prioritize initiatives that extend runway while driving growth.
  • Builds Investor Confidence: Investors want to see founders who understand their financials. Demonstrating runway awareness and having a plan to extend it shows financial discipline and strategic thinking.
  • Enables Proactive Planning: Rather than reacting to financial pressure, tracking runway lets you plan ahead. You can negotiate better terms with vendors, time your fundraising rounds strategically, and optimize spending before urgent cuts become necessary.
  • Supports Growth Goals: Understanding the relationship between burn rate, revenue, and runway helps you model different growth scenarios and determine the optimal pace of expansion for your business.

How to Use This Tool Effectively

To get the most accurate runway calculation:

  1. Enter Current Cash: Include all liquid assets available for operations - checking accounts, savings, and easily accessible investments.
  2. Calculate Monthly Burn: Sum all monthly operating expenses including payroll, rent, software subscriptions, marketing, and other recurring costs.
  3. Add Monthly Revenue: Include predictable recurring revenue. Be conservative - only count revenue you're confident will continue.
  4. Review Recommendations: Based on your runway status (critical, warning, or healthy), follow the specific action items provided.
  5. Update Regularly: Runway changes as your business evolves. Update your calculations monthly or whenever there's a significant change in revenue or expenses.

Understanding Runway Benchmarks

  • Critical (<3 months): Immediate action required. Start fundraising NOW and implement cost reductions.
  • Warning (3-6 months): Begin fundraising preparation and optimize spending to extend runway.
  • Healthy (6+ months): Continue monitoring and maintain financial discipline while focusing on growth.

Remember: fundraising typically takes 3-9 months from start to close. If you're not default alive (where revenue covers expenses), you should always be either fundraising or preparing to fundraise.

Take Control of Your Financial Future

While this calculator provides a snapshot of your current runway, managing cash flow is an ongoing process. For automated tracking, real-time alerts when runway drops below thresholds, and AI-powered forecasting that adapts to your business patterns, explore Uniflow's Financial Operating System.

Our platform helps you track runway automatically, model different scenarios, and receive proactive recommendations - giving you the financial clarity you need to build a sustainable, growing business.