Startup Runway Calculator
Find out exactly how many months until your startup runs out of cash. Enter your numbers below for instant results.
How Runway Is Calculated
Calculate Burn Rate
Monthly Burn = Expenses - Revenue. This is how much cash you lose each month.
Divide by Cash
Runway = Cash Balance / Monthly Burn. Simple division gives you months remaining.
Adjust for Growth
In detailed mode, we factor in revenue growth to show a more accurate projection.
Formula: Runway (months) = Cash Balance ÷ (Monthly Expenses - Monthly Revenue)
Example: Modeling Runway With and Without Revenue Growth
A seed-stage startup has $800K in the bank, $65K monthly expenses, and $15K MRR. Here's how 10% monthly revenue growth changes everything:
| Metric | No Growth | 10% MoM Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Starting cash | $800,000 | $800,000 |
| Monthly burn | $65,000 | $65,000 |
| Starting MRR | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Net burn month 1 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Net burn month 6 | $50,000 | $38,440 |
| Runway | 16 months | 22+ months |
10% monthly revenue growth adds 6+ months of runway without cutting a dollar of spending. This is why investors care about growth rate alongside burn — it directly determines survival. At 10% MoM, MRR reaches $26,573 by month 6, reducing net burn from $50K to $38K. Use our burn rate calculator to model the exact impact of revenue growth on your cash position.
Who This Calculator Is For
Seed-Stage Founders Tracking Cash
Know exactly how many months you have before needing to raise again and model the impact of every new hire or contract signed.
Pre-Series A Teams Planning Fundraising
Time your fundraise correctly — start at 9-12 months of runway remaining to negotiate from strength, not desperation.
Bootstrapped Operators Modeling Scenarios
Run best-case and worst-case cash scenarios to stress-test your business before committing to major expenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is startup runway?
Startup runway is the amount of time a company can continue operating before it runs out of cash. It's calculated by dividing your current cash balance by your monthly burn rate (expenses minus revenue). For example, if you have $100,000 in the bank and burn $10,000 per month, you have 10 months of runway.
How do you calculate runway?
Runway is calculated using this formula: Runway (months) = Cash Balance ÷ Monthly Burn Rate. Monthly burn rate = Monthly Expenses - Monthly Revenue. If your expenses are $50,000/month and revenue is $30,000/month, your burn rate is $20,000/month. With $200,000 cash, you have 10 months of runway.
What is a good runway for a startup?
Most investors recommend maintaining 12-18 months of runway. Less than 6 months is considered critical and requires immediate action. Having 18+ months gives you flexibility to focus on growth rather than constant fundraising. The ideal runway depends on your fundraising timeline and growth stage. For stage-specific guidance, see our seed-stage runway benchmarks for 2026.
How can I extend my startup runway?
You can extend runway by:
- Reducing expenses (cut non-essential costs, renegotiate contracts)
- Increasing revenue (raise prices, upsell existing customers)
- Raising additional funding
- Improving cash collection (shorter payment terms)
- Generating one-time income (selling assets, grants)
What is burn rate?
Burn rate is the rate at which a company spends its cash reserves. Gross burn rate is total monthly expenses. Net burn rate is expenses minus revenue (the actual cash you're losing each month). Net burn rate is more useful for calculating runway since it accounts for incoming revenue. You can explore typical runway figures across funding stages in our startup runway benchmark data.
How much runway should a seed startup have?
18 months minimum in 2026. The median seed-to-Series-A timeline has stretched to 18-22 months, up from 12-15 months in 2021. Starting with less than 18 months means you may be fundraising from a weak position with limited leverage. Top-performing companies target 24 months to give themselves room for pivots.
When should I start fundraising based on runway?
Start when you have 9-12 months remaining. The median Series A fundraising process takes 4 months from first meeting to wire transfer. Starting at 9 months gives you buffer for delays and negotiation. Companies that begin raising with 9+ months of runway receive valuations roughly 20% higher than those starting with 6 months.
How do you calculate runway with revenue growth?
Standard runway calculation (Cash / Net Burn) assumes static revenue, which underestimates runway for growing companies. For growth-adjusted runway, project net burn month by month, reducing it by expected MRR growth each month. Sum the months until cumulative spend exceeds your cash balance. A company with $500K cash and $50K net burn has 10 months of static runway, but if MRR grows 10% monthly, actual runway extends to 14+ months.
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