Startup runway calculator: how many months do you have left?
Enter your cash, expenses, revenue, and growth to calculate your burn rate and runway - with a month-by-month timeline.
Calculate your runway
Enter your cash, monthly expenses, and revenue to see how many months you have left - and whether growth gets you to profitability first.
Total cash in the bank today
All cash going out each month
Leave at 0 if pre-revenue
Month-over-month growth rate
Enter at least your cash and monthly expenses.
How runway and burn rate are calculated
Your runway is how many months of cash you have left at your current net burn rate. Net burn is monthly expenses minus monthly revenue. Divide cash on hand by net burn to get static runway. Factoring in revenue growth extends that runway - and if revenue overtakes expenses before cash runs out, you're "default alive".
Static vs. growth-adjusted runway
Static runway assumes revenue stays flat. Growth-adjusted runway compounds your revenue each month, which lowers net burn over time. The gap between the two numbers shows how much your growth rate is buying you - and whether you can reach profitability before the money runs out.
Runway health benchmarks
| Runway | Status | Recommended focus |
|---|---|---|
| 18+ months | Healthy | Invest in growth |
| 12–18 months | Comfortable | Plan next raise or path to profit |
| 6–12 months | Tightening | Grow revenue or cut burn |
| Under 6 months | Critical | Reduce burn / raise now |
Frequently asked questions
- How do you calculate startup runway?
- Cash on hand divided by net monthly burn (expenses minus revenue). It tells you how many months until you run out of money.
- What is the difference between gross and net burn?
- Gross burn is total monthly expenses. Net burn subtracts revenue, showing actual cash lost per month.
- How much runway should a startup have?
- 18+ months is comfortable, especially after a raise. Below 6 months is a danger zone that demands immediate action.
- What does default alive mean?
- A startup is default alive if, on current growth and burn, it reaches profitability before running out of cash, without raising again.
- How does revenue growth affect runway?
- Growing revenue reduces net burn each month, extending runway beyond the simple static calculation - sometimes to profitability.
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Why runway is the number that matters most
For an early-stage startup, runway is survival. It dictates how many shots you get at finding product-market fit, how much leverage you have in a fundraise, and whether you can wait for the right deal or have to take the first one offered. Founders who track runway weekly make sharper decisions about hiring, spending, and when to ship.
Three ways to extend runway
| Lever | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| Cut burn | Fastest, but can slow growth if you cut the wrong things |
| Grow revenue | Best long-term, but takes time to compound |
| Raise capital | Buys time, but dilutes ownership and resets expectations |
If your runway is short and you're still pre-product-market-fit, the cheapest way to learn is a lean MVP - the smallest build that tests your core assumption. That's exactly the kind of scoping our team does every day.
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