Every founder has a runway number. Fewer can explain what it depends on. A good model makes the dependencies visible so the board can argue about assumptions instead of formulas.
Start from actuals, not plans
Anchor the model on the last three closed months. Burn that is projected from a budget nobody hit is fiction with a chart attached.
Three scenarios, one page
- Base: current hiring plan, revenue growing at the trailing six-month rate
- Lean: hiring paused after committed offers, discretionary spend cut by a third
- Stretch: the plan you would run if the next round closes on time
Show the levers
Headcount is usually 70 to 80 percent of burn at seed stage. Show what each planned hire does to the cash-out date. That one table tends to drive better decisions than any chart.
