How to Calculate Your Startup Runway in Google Sheets (Free Template)
Every startup founder faces the same fear: running out of cash. But most don't have a simple, reliable way to predict when it'll happen. In this guide, I'll show you how to build a startup runway calculator in Google Sheets — and at the end, you'll find a link to a free pre-built template.
Why You Need a Runway Calculator
Cash is oxygen for startups. Without it, you die. A runway calculator tells you:
- How many months until you hit zero
- How much money you need to raise to survive 18+ months
- What happens if you grow revenue or cut burn
The Core Formula
Runway (months) = Current Cash / Monthly Net Burn
Where Net Burn = Total Expenses - Revenue (per month)
Building It in Google Sheets
Step 1: Set up your inputs
Create cells for:
- Starting cash balance
- Monthly gross burn (all expenses)
- Monthly revenue
- Funding amount (if raising)
- Funding arrival month
Step 2: 12-month projection
Create rows for each month. For each month:
- Starting cash = previous month's ending cash
- Revenue = initial revenue × (1 + growth rate)^month
- Burn = initial burn × (1 - reduction rate)^month
- Net cash flow = revenue - burn
- Ending cash = starting cash + net cash flow
Step 3: Conditional formatting
Green if ending cash > $0 at month 12, yellow if $0 to -$50k, red if below -$50k.
Step 4: Funding scenarios
Duplicate the sheet for "No Funding", "Seed Round", and "Bridge Round" scenarios.
Free Template
I've built a complete Startup Runway Calculator Template with all this built in, plus a dashboard with key metrics. It's free on Gumroad:
Startup Runway Calculator — Google Sheets
Just make a copy and plug in your numbers. No macros, no scripts — just formulas.
Bottom Line
Don't let your startup run out of cash because you were guessing. Build or download a runway calculator today. Your investors will thank you.
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