Total capital needed to launch. The Startup Cost Calculator takes one-time costs (equipment, deposits, legal, website, inventory), monthly running costs before revenue covers them, months of running costs to fund, contingency and returns capital needed to launch plus running costs funded, contingency amount. Results update as you type, and the formula is shown under the result so you can repeat it in your own spreadsheet.
Startup metrics are about the efficiency of growth: how much it costs to win and keep customers, how fast recurring revenue compounds, and how long the cash lasts. Investors read these numbers before they read the pitch. Use the worked example below to check the maths against your own figures.
How the Startup Cost Calculator works
Most launches fail on cash, not on the idea: fund the months until revenue covers costs, then add a contingency because everything takes longer than planned.
Worked example
With the example values (one-time costs (equipment, deposits, legal, website, inventory) of $50,000, monthly running costs before revenue covers them of $15,000, months of running costs to fund of 6, contingency of 15%), the capital needed to launch is $161,000.00; running costs funded $90,000.00, contingency amount $21,000.00. Change any figure above and the result updates immediately; use Copy results to paste the summary into a note or email.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How is capital needed to launch calculated?
capital needed = (one-time costs + monthly costs × months) × (1 + contingency).
Which figures do I need?
One-time costs (equipment, deposits, legal, website, inventory), monthly running costs before revenue covers them, months of running costs to fund, contingency. Take them from the same period and the same set of accounts or reports so the ratio is consistent, and check the example values as a guide to the units expected.
What do investors consider healthy?
Common benchmarks: LTV:CAC above 3, CAC payback under 12–18 months, net revenue retention above 100%, monthly churn under 2% for SMB and under 1% for enterprise, and at least 12–18 months of runway.
