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The Startup Project

2 resources from The Startup Project we point founders to, and the questions each answers.

📋 Template
✓ Link checked Free Intermediate

Why we picked it Reading about CAC and LTV only gets you so far, at some point you have to put your own guesses in a cell and watch what breaks. This model is genuinely free with no email wall, works in Excel or Google Sheets, and has a dedicated unit economics section with CAC by channel, LTV, payback, and contribution margin. Fair warning: it is a full financial model, so ignore the parts you do not need yet and live in the unit economics tab.

Startup Financial Model (SaaS) Excel Template

From The Startup Project by The Startup Project Excel and Google Sheets, multi tab

  • It ships free with no email required and opens in both Excel and Google Sheets, so there is nothing between you and pressure testing your numbers.
  • The unit economics tab already wires up CAC, LTV, payback period, contribution margin, and the LTV to CAC ratio, so you change assumptions instead of building formulas.
  • It is a comprehensive VC style model, which is more than a pre customer founder needs, so start in the unit economics section and leave the rest until you have real data.
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Answers How do I figure out my unit economics before I have real customers?
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it Once you accept that the spreadsheet lied about your cash, this template makes the timing gap concrete: you enter your real starting cash, revenue, and monthly expenses and it lays out burn, net cash, and runway month by month. It is free with no email wall, and the scenario tabs let you test what happens if you cut a fixed cost or push a hire out. Plug in your actual numbers rather than trusting a single average burn figure.

Startup Runway Calculator Template (Excel and Google Sheets)

From The Startup Project by The Startup Project Downloadable spreadsheet, 15 to 30 minutes to fill in

  • Runway is just current cash divided by net monthly burn, and seeing it laid out month by month exposes the exact month you run dry.
  • Because it separates revenue, headcount, and expenses, you can watch how trimming one fixed cost (a hire, a tool, an office) moves your runway more than chasing a few more sales.
  • Model conservative, base, and aggressive cases so you are not planning off a single optimistic line.
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Answers My unit economics work on a spreadsheet but I'm bleeding cash every month. Why the disconnect and what do I fix first? What does healthy cash flow actually look like for a bootstrapped business, and how do I stop confusing revenue with money in the bank?