Every founder eventually needs a financial model. These templates skip the blank-page panic: copy, plug in your numbers, and you have a defensible 3-year projection in an afternoon.
Google Sheets
SaaS 3-statement model
MRR-driven model with cohort retention, P&L, cash, and balance sheet.
Google Sheets
Marketplace model
GMV, take-rate, two-sided unit economics, contribution margin.
Google Sheets
Hardware model
BoM, COGS, channel margins, working-capital cycle, unit shipments.
What's in each model
Every template has six tabs:
- Assumptions — the levers you'll actually edit. Pricing, growth rates, churn, hiring plan, fixed costs. Everything else flows from here.
- Revenue — MRR build, cohort retention, churn impact. For marketplaces: GMV ramp + take-rate.
- Costs — headcount-driven (with payroll loading), infra, marketing, tools, contractors.
- P&L — monthly operating profit/loss with industry-standard line items.
- Cash — opening cash, month-end cash, runway, fundraising plug.
- Balance sheet — simplified, but enough to show working capital flow if relevant.
How to actually use these
- Be conservative on revenue, aggressive on costs. Investors will discount your revenue numbers anyway; they'll add headroom to your costs anyway. Save them the trouble.
- Pressure-test growth rates. 15% MoM growth compounds to absurd numbers in 24 months. If your model says you'll hit $10M ARR in 18 months from $50K MRR, the model is wrong.
- Model 3 scenarios. Base, upside (+30% revenue), downside (−30% revenue, +20% costs). The downside is what investors actually care about.
- Update monthly. The model should match your actuals each month with a single column copy. If it doesn't, fix the structure.
Pair with calculators
Use the Runway Calculator for quick sensitivity checks, the CAC/LTV Calculator for unit economics, and the Cap Table Simulator to model dilution from any future rounds the model implies.
FAQ
How accurate are these models?+
As accurate as your assumptions. The math is correct; the inputs are yours. Small assumption errors compound — pressure-test growth and churn assumptions especially.
Can I use these for a fundraise?+
Yes — these are similar to what most seed and Series A investors expect. They'll often build their own version anyway, so a clean, well-structured model that's easy to follow matters more than perfection.
Do I need to know finance to use them?+
No, but you'll learn finance using them. Each tab is annotated with what the formula does and why. Start by changing assumptions and watching outputs change.