Runway Tool
A cost-first forecast model for founders who need a runway number, a cash chart, and a three-statement output, without the full Standard Financial Model footprint.
The Runway Tool is a streamlined forecast model. You enter fundraising, revenues, and expenses; it outputs a balanced set of statements and a clear runway number.
It's the free cost-focused counterpart to the Standard Financial Model. Same build-to-edit philosophy, smaller surface area.
How it's structured
Four primary sheets: Get Started is the main input hub, Forecast holds driver-based line items (fundraising, revenue, expenses), Statements produces a monthly Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow, and Summary rolls it up to a 3-year annual view. Plus Key Reports, Sources & Uses, and Glossary.
Get Started (rows 6-77)
Set the model shape once, then forget it. Model structure inputs sit at R9-R14: company name, timescale (monthly / quarterly / annually), number of periods (default 36), first period date (default Jan 2026), fiscal year end, relative vs absolute dates. Balance sheet assumptions run R20-R49: opening cash, auto revenue recognition toggle, AR days, prepaid / AP / accrued as % of SG&A, depreciation months, corporate tax rate (default 21%), VAT, inventory lead time and payment terms.
Seasonality inputs (R52-R67) are monthly % change inputs, and R67 flags if they don't net to zero. See seasonality. Model checks at R73-R77 are five yes/no formulas covering whether the balance sheet balances, cash stays positive, and deferred revenue / inventory / PP&E stay positive. See model checks.
Forecast
This is where you shape the business. Every driver row uses the same column layout:
| Column | Purpose |
|---|---|
| K | Initial value |
| L | Start period |
| M | Repeats every N months |
| N | Changing based on (dropdown) |
| O | Changes every N months |
| P | % or # change |
Pre-wired sections run top to bottom. Fundraising is R18-R21 (equity investment, additional funding; default is a $500k SAFE in month 1). Revenues are R23-R28: two revenue streams and a subscribers metric, default $5k stream starting month 1 with 100 subscribers growing 5% monthly. Expenses are R30-R48 (R&D, S&M, G&A, misc SG&A, cost of sales); insert new rows above R49. Totals at R52-R80 are category aggregations feeding the statements.
See drivers for how the column system works.
Statements and Summary
All formulas. Statements produces monthly P&L (R10-R38), Balance Sheet (R41-R80), and Cash Flow (R83+). Summary rolls three years annual.
How to edit with AI
Open the workbook in Claude for Excel or connect the Hemrock MCP server at mcp.hemrock.com. See the prompt guide. Good starter asks: "add a hiring plan tied to revenue," "extend the forecast to 48 months," "add a second funding round in month 12."