Startup Financial Modeling & Burn Analysis
Build dynamic startup financial models and runway projections with scenario analysis
What You Can Do
You can build sophisticated multi-year financial projections that handle startup-specific uncertainties like non-linear hiring, uncertain revenue, and rapid scaling. Claude helps you model multiple burn scenarios (lean, target, aggressive), stress-test key assumptions, and translate complex financial data into clear board-ready narratives and visualizations. This skill accelerates funding-round preparation and ongoing financial planning by automating model building and scenario sensitivity analysis.
Features
test lean, target, and aggressive spending paths simultaneously to understand runway under different conditions
model team growth with non-linear salary scales, equity vesting, benefits, and onboarding costs
build projections for uncertain or non-existent revenue with multiple growth curves and customer acquisition timing
forecast cash depletion dates and identify funding milestones or breakeven timelines
automatically generate which assumptions (pricing, churn, hiring pace, sales cycle length) have the biggest financial impact
convert raw assumptions into polished P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet outputs with narrative explanations
analyze product margin, customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and payback periods by segment
evaluate impact of slower sales cycles, pricing pressure, unexpected expenses, or delayed funding closes
Example Output
Monthly Cash Runway Forecast:
- Current Cash: $2.1M
- Monthly Burn (Target Scenario): $185K
- Runway: 11.4 months
- Funding Needed By: Q3 2025
Sensitivity Analysis:
- If sales cycle extends 2 months: runway reduces to 9.2 months
- If hiring pace increases 25%: burn jumps to $215K/month, runway: 9.8 months
- If churn hits 8% (vs. 5% assumption): revenue model extends breakeven 6 months
Board-Ready Summary: Given current burn of $185K/month and $2.1M cash on hand, the company has 11.4 months of runway under base case assumptions. Key risks: delayed customer contracts (extends timeline 2+ months) and accelerated hiring to hit growth targets (costs $30K/month additional burn). Recommend Series A target: $4M to reach 24-month runway to profitability.
What's Included
- SKILL.md: system prompt and usage guidelines
- Financial Model Template: P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet worksheets with formulas
- Scenario Comparison Framework: structured format for lean/target/aggressive spending paths
- Runway Calculator Checklist: step-by-step inputs (headcount, salaries, operating costs, revenue assumptions)
- Sensitivity Analysis Worksheet: pre-built template for testing assumption impact
- Investor Narrative Guide: structure for translating model outputs into funding pitch story
Who It's For
- Early-stage CFOs and VPs of Finance managing seed to Series B funding rounds
- Founders building financial models for investor pitches and board presentations
- Finance operations managers forecasting cash runway and burn scenarios
- Business operations leaders evaluating hiring plans against cash constraints
- Startup finance consultants building models for portfolio companies
Best For
- Annual and multi-year financial projections for fundraising rounds
- Monthly and quarterly runway forecasting and board updates
- Scenario stress-testing (sales delays, hiring acceleration, pricing changes)
- Unit economics modeling for product lines or customer segments
- Sensitivity analysis to identify which assumptions drive financial outcomes
You might also like
You can systematically process court orders, IRS levies, and child support withholdings by validating order authenticity, calculating accurate deductions accounting for state exemptions and federal limits, sequencing multiple garnishments by legal priority, and generating compliant documentation for courts and creditors. This skill handles the highest-risk payroll functions—reducing legal exposure, audit risk, and manual processing time while ensuring every deduction meets federal and state regulations.
by eryet
You receive a comprehensive framework for evaluating diversified passive income streams, assessing client risk profiles, and recommending portfolio structures that maximize income while maintaining alignment with financial objectives. The skill analyzes income sources (real estate, dividends, bonds, peer lending, digital assets), models cash flow projections, evaluates tax efficiency, and provides data-driven strategy recommendations ranked by performance potential.
by eryet
You can systematically evaluate payment timing decisions across your vendor base by modeling discount capture opportunities against working capital requirements. The skill analyzes vendor payment terms, your cash flow constraints, and strategic vendor priorities to generate prioritized payment schedules that maximize savings while maintaining adequate liquidity and protecting critical supplier relationships.
by eryet
Create comprehensive, personalized wealth strategies that align client assets, goals, and risk tolerance. You can assess complex financial situations, generate multi-faceted investment and tax strategies, and produce professional recommendations that incorporate goal timelines, asset allocation frameworks, and tax efficiency considerations. The skill helps you move beyond generic advice to deliver actionable, client-specific wealth plans backed by structured analysis.
by eryet
You can generate professionally formatted SVG color palettes by providing a theme name, source URL, or specific hex codes. Claude researches color standards, extracts values from web sources, and organizes 4-7 swatches from dark to light with an anchor brand color at center. Each swatch includes click-to-copy hex codes and hover effects for easy reference.
by eryet
You can trace financial transactions across multiple accounts and entities, document complete chain-of-custody for audit evidence, identify fraud indicators and anomaly patterns, and construct defensible audit conclusions that satisfy both forensic rigor and legal admissibility requirements. This skill provides structured protocols for adversarial skepticism, hostile cross-examination preparation, and quantification of losses or damages with transparent methodologies.
by eryet
You can systematically prepare, validate, and generate accurate 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC forms while ensuring full IRS compliance. The skill handles vendor categorization based on payment type, tracks filing thresholds automatically, identifies when CORRECTED forms are needed, and verifies Tax ID Numbers—eliminating manual errors and compressing your year-end compliance timeline by 40-60%. You'll streamline the complex distinction between form types and manage exemptions, multiple legal entities, and Form 1096 transmittal requirements effortlessly.
by eryet
You can systematically classify and track expenses against specific restricted grants and donations, reconcile fund balances with compliance verification, and generate accurate financial statements that separate restricted and unrestricted funds. This skill prevents audit failures, donor relation damage, and grant non-compliance penalties by ensuring every restricted fund expense is properly documented, allowable under grant terms, and traceable to donor/grantor requirements.
by eryet