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runway-calculator

Calculate cash runway, burn, and the zero-cash date — and whether you're default alive or dead. Use when asked to work out runway, monthly burn, when the money runs out, or how much to raise/cut to reach a target. Produces a computed runway summary (net burn, months of runway, zero-cash date, default alive/dead) plus what it takes to extend it.

Published by mohitagw15856 ↗mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills

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runway-calculator

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Use runway-calculator to calculate runway, net monthly burn, zero-cash date, default-alive/dead status, and cut-versus-raise-versus-growth scenarios from [cash, revenue, and expenses], [revenue growth rate], and [target runway or raise].

Required inputs

  • [cash, revenue, and expenses]
  • [revenue growth rate]
  • [target runway or raise]

User-approved starter prompt based on a pinned source version; check current skill requirements before running. Task evidence ↗

SKILL.md

name: runway-calculatordescription: "Calculate cash runway, burn, and the zero-cash date — and whether you're default alive or dead. Use when asked to work out runway, monthly burn, when the money runs out, or how much to raise/cut to reach a target. Produces a computed runway summary (net burn, months of runway, zero-cash date, default alive/dead) plus what it takes to extend it."

Runway Calculator Skill

For any company spending more than it makes, one number governs everything: how many months of cash are left. This skill computes net burn, runway, and the zero-cash date from your cash and P&L, judges whether you're default alive or dead (Paul Graham's test — would you reach profitability on current cash at current growth?), and shows the raise-or-cut needed to hit a target runway.

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:

  • Cash in bank (today).
  • Monthly revenue and monthly expenses (or net monthly burn directly).
  • Monthly growth rate of revenue, if you want the default-alive check.
  • Target — a runway you want to reach (e.g. 18 months) or a raise you're considering.

Output Format

Runway: [company]

1. The numbers (computed via the helper):

MetricValue
Net monthly burn
Cash in bank
Runway (months)
Zero-cash date
Default alive?yes / no

2. Default alive or dead — on current cash and growth, do you reach profitability before the cash runs out? State it plainly; it's the question investors ask first.

3. To extend it — the concrete moves and their effect: cut $X/mo → +Y months; raise $Z → +W months; or the growth rate needed to turn default-alive. Show the trade-off.

4. Caveats — flag if burn is rising (these numbers assume flat burn), and the buffer to keep (don't plan to zero — most raises take months).

Programmatic Helper

scripts/runway.py (stdlib only) computes runway and the zero-cash date:

# in.json: {"cash": 600000, "monthly_revenue": 40000, "monthly_expenses": 110000, "revenue_growth": 0.08}
python3 scripts/runway.py in.json
python3 scripts/runway.py in.json --json

Quality Checks

  • Net burn = expenses − revenue (not gross spend) — and the zero-cash date is an actual date
  • The default-alive/dead question is answered explicitly
  • "To extend it" gives concrete cut/raise/growth options with their month impact
  • Flags that the figures assume flat burn if burn is actually growing
  • Recommends a cash buffer rather than planning to literally zero

Anti-Patterns

  • Do not report runway off gross spend — net burn (after revenue) is the real number
  • Do not assume flat burn silently — if headcount/spend is rising, say the runway is optimistic
  • Do not plan to zero cash — a raise takes 3–6 months; runway should be measured to "must-raise-by," not "broke"
  • Do not ignore growth — a fast-growing company can be default alive even while burning
  • Do not present one scenario — show the cut-vs-raise-vs-grow trade-off

Based On

Startup cash-management practice — net burn, runway, and "Default Alive or Dead" (Paul Graham, Y Combinator).

Example Trigger Phrases

  • "Work out our runway."
  • "What's our monthly burn?"
  • "When does the money run out?"
  • "How much do we need to raise or cut?"