What is my real runway?
Not the optimistic number. The real one. Updated every week.
You'd think this is a 'check the bank balance' answer — Astra runs the real model with committed spend, AR, and 3 scenarios in 5 minutes.
The short answer
Astra calculates your real runway weekly by pulling live data from 4 sources and running 3 scenarios. (1) Cash on hand from Brex + business checking via Plaid. (2) Net burn from last 90 days of Stripe revenue minus all categorized expense outflows (payroll via Gusto, vendor invoices via QuickBooks, SaaS via expense feed). (3) Committed spend not yet billed — annual contracts, vendor commitments, ramping headcount. (4) Accounts receivable with aging — what's actually likely to collect vs deadbeat. Then she runs 3 scenarios: Optimistic (current MRR growth holds), Base (flat MRR), and Pessimistic (10% MoM decline). The Lark report Monday morning shows: cash today, weekly burn (4-week rolling avg), runway in months for each scenario, and the top 3 levers to extend it (cut waste, accelerate AR, raise prices). Most founders' real runway is 2-4 months shorter than their gut estimate.
How Astra actually does it
- 1Pull live cash position
Brex + business checking via Plaid. Sum across all accounts. Subtract any cash earmarked for taxes/escrow.
BrexPlaid - 2Compute true net burn
Last 90 days: Stripe revenue minus all expense outflows (payroll via Gusto, vendors via QuickBooks, SaaS via Brex categorization). 4-week rolling average for stability.
StripeGustoQuickBooks - 3Add committed spend not yet billed
Annual contracts auto-renewing, ramping headcount with start dates >30d out, vendor commitments. These hit the runway model even if not yet on the credit card.
- 4Model 3 scenarios
Optimistic: current MRR growth rate holds. Base: MRR flat. Pessimistic: 10% MoM MRR decline + headcount ramp. Each scenario produces a runway-in-months number.
- 5Deliver report + extension levers
Monday Lark message: cash, weekly burn, runway by scenario, top 3 extension levers (cut top 5 wastes / accelerate AR / raise pricing) with $$ impact each.
Lark
What it looks like in chat
Weekly Monday Lark report: cash, true burn, runway in 3 scenarios, top 3 extension levers with $$ impact.
Weekly Monday 9am; emergency report if any scenario drops below 6 months.
Ask Astra this right now
We'll spin up your workspace, hand the prompt to Astra, and you see the answer in 60 seconds. Free.
Try this with AstraFrequently asked questions
What if I don't have Brex or Plaid connected?
She works with manual cash uploads (you tell her your balance once a week) or any bank with API access. The model loses some real-time accuracy but the scenario math still works. Most users start manual and connect Plaid in week 2 once they see the value.
How accurate is the burn calculation?
Within 5% if Stripe + Gusto + QuickBooks are all connected. Without QuickBooks she misses some vendor invoices (typically off by 10-15%). She always tells you the confidence level so you know how much to trust the runway number.
Can she model raising a round?
Yes — tell her 'model a $3M raise closing in 4 months at $25K/mo dilution-impact assumption' and she'll add a 4th scenario showing post-raise runway. She'll also flag if your current burn requires the raise to close earlier than your timeline.
What if revenue is lumpy (annual contracts, big enterprise deals)?
She normalizes by annualizing committed ARR and computing MRR-equivalent. For lumpy revenue she also reports cash runway separate from accounting runway — important because cash is what actually keeps the lights on. She'll flag if you're projected to hit a cash crunch even when accounting runway looks fine.
Run your one-person company.
Hire your AI team in 30 seconds. Start for free.
Free to start · No credit card required · Set up in 30 seconds