1
Ask for a monthly cash forecast
Say how far ahead to look and what cash level matters to you:
Forecast monthly cash for the next 18 months and show when cash falls below six months of operating expenses.Ari starts from your cash at Last close, then adds the money coming in and subtracts the money going out, month by month. It names the first month the balance falls below your minimum, or below zero if you ask when cash runs out. If cash never falls that low within the forecast, Ari says it lasts through the last forecast month.
2
Check where the cash comes from
Where does the starting cash balance come from, and which inflows and outflows move the forecast the most?The starting balance comes from the cash accounts on your balance sheet at Last close. When Ari has no balance to read, it uses a starting balance you can edit, and it tells you the cash runway depends on that number.Cash moves when money is paid, which can be a different month from when it is earned. Ask Ari to use your real payment terms, such as customers paying 30 days after the invoice or annual contracts paid up front. A balance that goes negative stays visible in the forecast, and money you have actually raised stays separate from a raise you are only considering.
3
Add a 13-week view, if you need one
Build a 13-week cash forecast by week, starting next week.Ari builds a weekly table and writes formulas for weeks, because formulas written for months do not fill week columns. Your accounting statements arrive one month at a time. Weekly actuals need a source with a date on every transaction, such as a bank export; see Upload a CSV as a data source.
4
Test a raise or a cut in a Scenario
Try each decision in its own Scenario, so Main stays as it is:
Create a Scenario called Bridge round: raise $2 million in March, and compare cash runway with Main.
Create a Scenario where we cut marketing spend by 30% starting next month, and show the month cash runs out.See Test a decision in a Scenario and Compare Scenarios side by side.