We’re fluent in startup finance. Now you can be too.

Learn more about common financial (and startup) terms here. To learn more about Pilot, fill out the form below.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Glossary
  >  
Burn Multiple

What is a Burn Multiple?

Your burn multiple is your net cash burned divided by your net new ARR in a given period. It’s a measure of capital efficiency, and you’d like to keep it as low as possible.

Note that this metric assumes that you’re a SaaS business, but the general principle is applicable for any high-growth company. The term was first coined in a post by David Sacks, where he provides the following rules of thumb about acceptable burn rates for venture-scale startups:

Burn Multiple Efficiency
Under 1x Amazing
1 - 1.5x Great
1.5 - 2x Good
2 - 3x Suspect
Over 3x Bad

You can read his full post here. (It’s both short and good.)

Need help with other finance or startup questions?

Pilot provides bookkeeping, CFO, and tax services for literally thousands of startups and growing businesses. We've successfully processed over 10 million transactions for our customers and have unparalleled expertise when it comes to helping businesses succeed.

We're the largest startup-focused accounting firm in the United States, and we'd love to help you. To talk to an expert on our team and find out what Pilot can do for you, please click "Talk to an Expert" below, or email us at info@pilot.com.

See what Pilot can do for you

Get the peace of mind that comes from partnering with our experienced finance team.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.