Concept

Runway

Runway is months of operating cash at your current burn — the clock that forces prioritization. Venture-backed founders should care this week because runway is not only a finance metric; it decides which bets get founder attention and which get cut. If you cannot state runway, burn, and the one lever that extends both, you are managing by hope.

Where founders get this wrong

• Tracking runway in a spreadsheet nobody updates while hiring and tooling keep ramping.
• Burning months on 'brand' or speculative features while pipeline and cash collection slip.
• Raising too late because 'we still have six months' — without a realistic close timeline.