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Startup Fundraising Calculator
Determine how much capital you need to raise to reach your next milestone while managing equity dilution.
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Enter your runway, burn and valuation, then calculate. You get how much to raise, the post-money valuation and what you keep.
Methodology and formulas
Fundraising Logic
This calculator works backwards from your target runway (typically 18-24 months) to determine the capital required based on your burn rate.
1. Required Capital
Required Capital = Burn Rate × (Target Runway − Current Runway)
2. Post-Money Valuation
Post-Money Valuation = Pre-Money Valuation + Investment Amount
3. Dilution
Dilution % = Investment Amount / Post-Money Valuation
4. Founder Ownership Impact
New Ownership = Old Ownership × (1 − Dilution %)
Questions
- How much should I raise in my next round?
- A common rule of thumb is to raise enough capital for 18-24 months of runway. This gives you roughly 12-15 months to execute on milestones and 3-6 months to raise your next round without running out of cash.
- How does raise amount affect dilution?
- The more you raise, the more dilution you suffer, assuming a fixed valuation. Typical dilution for a seed or Series A round is 15-25%. Founders must balance the need for capital (to grow faster and increase valuation) with the cost of giving up equity.
- When should founders raise more or less?
- Raise more if market conditions are favorable, capital is cheap, or you have a clear way to deploy capital for aggressive growth. Raise less (or delay) if your valuation is low, market conditions are tough, or you haven't yet proven key milestones that would unlock a better valuation.
- How much runway do investors expect?
- Investors typically want to see that their capital will last at least 18 months. This suggests you have a plan to reach the next set of value-inflection points (e.g., product launch, $1M ARR) before needing to ask for money again.
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- DCF CalculatorCalculate enterprise value using discounted cash flows
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