Free tool
Startup runway calculator: the month your cash runs out
Runway is cash divided by net burn, which is monthly spend minus revenue. With $1,200,000 in the bank, $40,000 of revenue and $140,000 of spend, net burn is $100,000 and runway is 12 months. Add growth rates to see the month you hit zero, or when revenue covers spend.
Your numbers this month
Cash collected, not bookings
Everything that leaves, payroll included
Runway
12 months
Cash runs out during month 13 at these rates
- Net burn a month
- $100,000
- Gross burn a month
- $140,000
- Revenue covers spend
- Not within 5 years
Default dead at these rates: the cash runs out before revenue covers spend.
Assumes $40,000 of revenue and $140,000 of spend a month, with no growth. Runway is cash divided by net burn.
How it's calculated
- Net burn is this month's spend minus this month's revenue. Gross burn is spend alone.
- Each month, revenue and spend grow by the rates you enter, and the month's net is added to cash.
- Runway is the number of whole months before cash goes below zero, up to 60 months.
- You are default alive when revenue covers spend before the cash runs out.
accountable.im/northwind-labs/reportsQuestions founders ask
Should I use last month's burn or an average?
Use the average of the last 3 months. One month can swing with an annual payment or a large invoice, and a 3-month average is what most investors expect.
Do loans and equity raises count as revenue?
No. Money raised or borrowed adds to cash, not revenue, so it lengthens runway without lowering burn.
What runway should a startup have?
Many investors advise raising with 12 to 18 months of runway left, since a round often takes 3 to 6 months to close.
What does default alive mean?
Paul Graham's term for a startup whose revenue growth covers its spend before the cash runs out, with no new money. Enter your growth rates and the calculator says which one you are.
How do I lengthen runway without raising?
Lower net burn: cut spend that does not drive revenue, collect invoices faster, or move annual vendor payments to monthly. Each $10,000 of monthly net burn removed adds months in proportion to the cash you hold.
Rules from, checked November 4, 2026: