Runway and burn guides
Runway is how long your cash lasts at the current burn rate. These guides cover how to calculate runway and net burn, why a weekly zero-cash date is more reliable than a count of months, how burn multiple and default alive are worked out, and how to forecast costs that grow with usage, such as AI compute.
4 guides, newest first.
Zero Cash Date: How to Calculate When Your Startup Runs Out of Cash
How to calculate your zero cash date with weekly cash flow forecasts, why monthly runway hides timing risk, and a worked example where six months becomes 4.5.
Default Alive or Default Dead? A Checklist for Founders (2026)
Is your startup default alive or default dead? The four inputs, a step-by-step projection, a worked example, and what to do if the answer is dead.
Runway vs. Burn Rate: Differences, Formulas, and Founder Decisions (2026)
The difference between runway, burn rate, net burn, gross burn, and burn multiple, with formulas, worked examples, and the founder decisions they inform.
Forecasting AI Compute Costs: A Founder Guide for 2026
How to model AI inference and agent costs as a line item in your cash flow forecast: the inference cost paradox, margins, and scenario planning.
More topics
All 19 guides →- Payroll4 guides →Making every payroll run, including the years with 27.
- 13-week forecasting5 guides →Building and running a weekly cash forecast.
- Working capital3 guides →Where cash waits between the invoice and the bank.
- Tools and integrations3 guides →What QuickBooks, HubSpot and AI tools can and can't forecast.