What is startup runway?

Runway is the number of months a company can operate before running out of cash, calculated as cash balance divided by net monthly burn rate. Most investors expect startups to maintain at least 12–18 months of runway at all times.

What is the difference between gross burn and net burn?

Gross burn is total cash spent per month. Net burn is gross burn minus monthly revenue. A company with $200k in expenses and $50k in revenue has a $150k net burn and a $200k gross burn.

How much runway should a startup have before fundraising?

Most advisors recommend starting a fundraising process when you have 6–9 months of runway left, since raising a round typically takes 3–6 months. Entering with less than 6 months signals desperation and weakens your negotiating position.

What counts as cash for runway purposes?

Include all liquid assets: checking, savings, money market accounts, and short-term treasury holdings. Exclude AR (not yet collected), equipment, deposits, and anything that cannot be converted to cash within 30 days.

How do I use this to set a fundraising target?

Enter your desired runway in months in the "Target Runway" field. The tool calculates how much additional cash you need on top of your current balance to reach that target, assuming your current burn rate stays constant.

Startup Runway Calculator

Enter your cash balance and monthly burn rate to see how many months of runway you have left.

Cash Position

Current Cash Balance ($)

All liquid bank accounts combined

Monthly Gross Burn ($)

Total cash spent per month (payroll, rent, software, etc.)

Monthly Revenue ($)

Collected cash revenue (not ARR or invoiced)

Target Runway (months) — optional

Set a goal to calculate required fundraise amount

Runway Results

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Net Monthly Burn

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Months of Runway

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Projected Zero-Cash Date

Now Zero cash

Summary

This runway calculator tells you exactly how many months of cash your startup has left given its current bank balance and monthly net burn. Enter your cash, your monthly spending (gross burn), and your monthly revenue to get net burn, runway in months, and the projected zero-cash date. Use the fundraising target field to see how much you need to raise to hit a specific runway goal.

How it works

Enter your current total cash balance (all bank accounts combined).
Enter your gross monthly burn — total cash spent per month before revenue.
Enter your monthly recurring revenue to let the tool compute net burn.
The calculator shows net burn, months of runway, and your zero-cash date.
Optionally set a target runway in months to see the fundraising amount required.

Use cases

Check how long your startup can operate before needing new funding.
Present runway metrics to investors in a pitch deck.
Decide whether to accelerate hiring or slow spending based on cash position.
Model fundraising targets to reach 18 or 24 months of runway.
Track month-over-month burn rate changes after cost cuts.
Estimate zero-cash date when closing a bridge round.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-18 · Reviewed by Nham Vu