Guide · 15 tools
Startup fundraising and equity
Valuation methods, SAFE and convertible note conversion, cap tables, dilution, option pools, liquidation preferences, burn rate and runway.
Fundraising is a negotiation over percentages, and small terms move large sums. These calculators make each term concrete: what a cap or discount does at conversion, what an option pool costs founders, how a preference stack pays out, and how many months the bank balance buys.
They frame the negotiation; the price is set by whoever writes the cheque.
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Valuation
Pre-money by method, and by multiple.
Business & Start-upsStartup Valuation CalculatorCalculate pre-money and post-money valuation from an investment amount and the equity offered.Pre-money valuation: $5,600,000Open the calculator Business & Start-upsStartup Valuation Methods CalculatorValue a pre-revenue startup three ways — Berkus, scorecard and the VC method — and get a range to anchor your ask.A defensible pre-money valuation is around: $7,200,000Open the calculator Business & Start-upsBusiness Valuation CalculatorEstimate an indicative business value from earnings or revenue, a chosen multiple, debt and surplus cash.Indicative equity value: $2,500,000Open the calculator
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Instruments and the cap table
SAFEs, notes, pools and who owns what after the round.
Business & Start-upsSAFE Note CalculatorWork out how many shares a SAFE converts into, and the founder dilution, under a valuation cap, a discount, or both.The SAFE converts into ownership of: 5.9%Open the calculator Business & Start-upsConvertible Note CalculatorModel a convertible note with interest, a cap and a discount, and see exactly what it dilutes at the next round.The note dilutes existing holders by: 7.6%Open the calculator Business & Start-upsCap Table CalculatorSimulate up to three funding rounds with option-pool top-ups and see what founders, employees and each investor own at the end.Founders own at the end: 46.0%Open the calculator Business & Start-upsFounder Equity CalculatorModel a simple founder equity split using contribution weights such as cash, time, idea, sales and product work.Founder A modelled ownership: 54%Open the calculator Business & Start-upsEquity Dilution CalculatorCalculate ownership dilution after a new investment round or share issue.Your ownership after the round: 48%Open the calculator Business & Start-upsOption Pool CalculatorSize the employee option pool from your hiring plan and see who pays for it if it is created before the round.Pool needed: 8.2%Open the calculator Business & Start-upsLiquidation Preference CalculatorSee how exit proceeds split between investors and common holders under a liquidation preference, with or without participation.Your share: $380kOpen the calculator Business & Start-upsStock Option Value CalculatorValue a stock option grant at different exit outcomes, after strike price, dilution and tax.After-tax value: $140kOpen the calculator
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Cash and runway
How long the money lasts and when to raise.
Business & Start-upsBurn Rate CalculatorCalculate monthly gross spending, net cash burn and a simple runway estimate from cash, monthly expenses and monthly income.Net burn each month: $63,000Open the calculator Business & Start-upsRunway CalculatorEstimate how many months cash will last at the current net burn rate.Months of runway: 10 monthsOpen the calculator Business & Start-ups13-Week Cash Flow ForecastProject the next thirteen weeks of cash from receipts and payments, find the low point, and see if you need a facility.Lowest cash balance, week 8: $16,000Open the calculator Business & Start-upsCustomer Concentration CalculatorMeasure how much revenue depends on your biggest customers and what losing one would do to runway.Top customer: 20%Open the calculator
Common questions
Startup fundraising and equity: the questions people ask
- How does a SAFE convert?
- At the next priced round, at the lower of the valuation cap and the discounted round price. The SAFE calculator shows the shares and ownership each term produces.
- How much runway should a startup have?
- Enough to reach the next milestone plus six months to raise; 18 months is the common target after a round. The runway calculators project it with revenue growth and cost changes.
- What does an option pool cost founders?
- When the pool is created before a round (the usual investor ask), it comes out of the founders’ share alone, lowering the effective pre-money valuation. The option pool calculator shows the true price.
Results are estimates based on the figures entered, for general information only, and not financial, investment, tax or legal advice.