Startup Cost Calculator
Itemizes all pre-launch and early-stage costs to determine total capital required. Calculates monthly burn rate and runway to show how long funding will last before revenue needs to cover expenses.
Business - Startup Cost Calculator.xlsx
Excel (.xlsx) — No macros — Works in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice
What This Spreadsheet Solves
- Underestimating total capital needed to launch a business
- No organized breakdown of one-time vs. recurring startup costs
- Unclear burn rate and how many months of runway the available funding provides
- Difficulty presenting a credible funding request to investors or lenders
- Forgetting hidden costs like legal, insurance, or deposits
Who This Is For
- First-time founders building financial plans
- Small business owners planning a new venture
- Startup advisors reviewing client cost projections
- Loan officers evaluating startup funding applications
Inputs
- textCost Item Description
- $One-Time Cost
- $Monthly Recurring Cost
- $Available Capital
- #Expected Monthly Revenue Start (month)
Outputs
- Total One-Time Costs
- Total Monthly Recurring Costs
- Monthly Burn Rate
- Runway (months)
- Total Capital Required (to revenue start)
- Funding Gap
How Calculations Work
All one-time costs are summed for the pre-launch total. Monthly recurring costs are summed for the burn rate. Runway is calculated by dividing available capital (minus one-time costs) by the monthly burn rate. Total capital required adds one-time costs to burn rate multiplied by the number of months until expected revenue begins. The funding gap is total required minus available capital.
Example Use Case
Scenario: A food truck startup: $45K vehicle purchase, $8K equipment, $3K permits/licenses (one-time). $2.5K ingredients, $1.5K insurance, $1K fuel, $500 marketing (monthly). $70K available capital. Revenue expected to start month 3.
Result: Total one-time costs: $56K. Monthly burn rate: $5.5K. Total capital required: $72.5K ($56K + $5.5K x 3 months). Runway: 2.5 months. Funding gap: $2.5K.
What You Get — 5 Sheets
Technical Details
Frequently Asked Questions
What costs do people most often forget?
Legal/incorporation fees, insurance deposits, initial inventory, software subscriptions, accounting setup, business licenses, and a cash reserve for unexpected delays. The README sheet includes a checklist.
Should I include my own salary in the burn rate?
Yes, if you plan to pay yourself during the pre-revenue period. If not, exclude it but note that your effective compensation is zero until revenue starts.
What is a reasonable contingency buffer?
10-20% of total costs is standard. The default in CONFIG is 15%. Increase it for industries with high regulatory or construction uncertainty.
How do I use this to request funding?
The total capital required plus the contingency buffer is your funding ask. The OUTPUT sheet provides a clean summary suitable for a pitch deck or loan application.
Can I model different scenarios with different capital amounts?
Change the available capital in INPUT to see how runway and funding gap shift. The model recalculates instantly.
Download Startup Cost Calculator
Ready to use immediately. Enter your data in the INPUT sheet, see results in OUTPUT.