Startup Cash Flow Template Excel, Runway Calculator, 13 Week Cash Flow Forecast, Financial Model for Hardware and Deep Tech Founders

Hardware Runway Kit: a 15-tab Excel workbook that shows when a hardware startup's cash runs short, and why. 13-week cash, a 36-month runway, per-employee payroll, a 60-row headcount plan, and equity, venture debt, equipment loan, AR revolver, grant and prepayment financing, in one model.

INSTANT DIGITAL DOWNLOAD · No physical item will be shipped.

WHY HARDWARE NEEDS ITS OWN TEMPLATE
Many cash flow templates are built for software businesses. Hardware startups pay for tooling before they ship, put down long-lead supplier deposits, carry heavy COGS, often wait weeks to get paid unless milestone or progress payments are agreed, and run payroll on a fixed calendar no matter when customers pay. This kit is built around those realities.

WHAT'S INSIDE (15 TABS)
✔ Start Here: tab map, colour legend, conventions and the master check status
✔ Inputs: start date, opening cash, AR and AP, minimum cash covenant, target runway, the Base / Downside / Upside selector, stress toggles, hiring freeze, pay frequency and payroll tax settings
✔ Headcount Plan: a 60-row roster with role, department, FTE or contractor, start and end month, salary, raise, bonus and hiring cost, with a headcount-by-department summary
✔ Revenue: product lines as units x price on a launch curve, contract milestones, COGS as a % or from a bill of materials, supplier deposits, lead times and terms, collection days and safety stock
✔ Opex: non-payroll costs, fixed with annual growth or per head by department, plus one-time items
✔ Capex: equipment and tooling with deposit and balance timing, an overrun stress, depreciation and an equipment-loan flag
✔ Financing: equity rounds, venture debt, an equipment loan, an AR revolver, grants and customer prepayments, with monthly schedules
✔ Payroll: per-person gross pay, bonus, employer Social Security capped per employee, uncapped Medicare, federal and state unemployment taxes, benefits and contractors, on the real pay calendar, with people cost by department
✔ Engine: the calculation-only week-by-month ledger that feeds both cash views
✔ 13-Week Cash: weekly receipts, disbursements, financing, ending cash, paydays, covenant headroom and the low-point flag
✔ 36-Month Runway: monthly cash, burn, runway and covenant flags for the live case (Base / Downside / Upside), plus a monthly P&L view and burn multiple
✔ Scenarios: case assumptions, a live-case summary, the sensitivity grid, quick stress cases and a scenario log
✔ Board Cash Page: one screen with 3 charts, a stress table, lever inputs and board notes
✔ Lender Sequencing: customer prepay, grants, equipment financing, an AR revolver, venture debt and equity in a sensible order, with lead times and start-by dates from your live cash dates
✔ Checks: 32 tie-outs and input checks rolled into one master check

BUILT FOR HOW HARDWARE BURNS CASH
• Weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly or monthly payroll on the real pay calendar (3-paycheck months and 27-pay years fall out automatically); employer Social Security capped per employee, uncapped Medicare, federal and state unemployment taxes, with their wage bases reset every January 1
• 60-row headcount plan with raises, bonuses, terminations and a hiring freeze
• Venture debt, equipment loan, AR revolver, grants and prepayments
• The 13-week and 36-month views are summed from the same week-by-month ledger, so they tie out, with a built-in check
• Capex lands on the payment date, not the delivery date

QUESTIONS IT ANSWERS
• When is our real cash low point, and which payments drive it?
• When do we run out of cash, and when do we breach our minimum cash covenant?
• How much runway do we have in the Base, Downside and Upside cases?
• What does a hiring freeze or a slower launch do to runway?
• When should we start each financing conversation?
• What do we show the board?

WHO IT'S FOR
Founders, CEOs and first finance hires at hardware, hard-tech, defense, robotics, energy, space and deep-tech startups.

NOT FOR
SaaS or services businesses with no inventory or capex, or anyone who needs a full three-statement accounting model.

FORMAT
• 1 ZIP file containing the Excel workbook (.xlsx) and a short read-me. No macros or add-ins.
• Built for Microsoft Excel. Uses only standard functions, no macros.
• All figures belong to an invented sample company. Replace them with your own.

LICENSE
For use in one company. Advisors or firms using it across several companies: send us a message on Etsy about a multi-company license.

REFUNDS
Any problem with the file? Message the shop on Etsy within 14 days of purchase and we'll send a fixed file or refund you. Otherwise, digital downloads are final sale.

QUESTIONS
Use the "Message seller" button. We usually reply within 2 business days.

Educational, not financial or legal advice. A planning template, not a substitute for your accountant, lawyer or lender.