RE: Monday it is π₯15 Nov 2025 17:38
What is "cash burn"?Cash burn (or burn rate) is a measure of how quickly a company (usually a startup or early-stage business) is spending its cash reserves before it generates positive cash flow from operations. It tells investors and management how many months of runway the company has left with its current cash balance.It is typically expressed as:Monthly cash burn rate = Negative cash flow per month
Runway = Cash balance Γ· Monthly cash burn rate (in months)
Is it calculated using net income or actual cash outflows?Cash burn is a cash-based metric, not an accounting-profit metric. Therefore, non-cash items are excluded (or more precisely, added back/subtracted out) when calculating it.How cash burn is typically calculatedThe most common and accurate way to calculate cash burn is directly from the cash flow statement:Cash burn = β (Cash flow from operating activities + Cash flow from investing activities)
(or simply the net change in cash if financing inflows like new equity/debt are excluded)A simpler (but less precise) approximation often used by startups is:Cash burn β Net loss + Non-cash expenses β Non-cash revenuesKey non-cash items that are added back (excluded from the burn):Depreciation and amortization
Stock-based compensation
Impairment charges
Unrealized foreign exchange gains/losses
Changes in fair value of financial instruments
Deferred income taxes
Provisions (if no cash was paid out in the period)
Items that are subtracted (because they are non-cash income):Unrealized gains
Forgiveness of debt (if treated as income without cash inflow)
Items that are cash and therefore included in burn:Salaries, rent, marketing, R&D spending
Capital expenditures (capex)
Interest paid
Actual tax payments
Changes in working capital (e.g., paying suppliers, receiving customer payments)
ExampleItem
Amount
Cash?
Included in cash burn?
Net loss
β$1,000,000
β
Starting point
+ Depreciation & amortization
+$200,000
No
Added back
+ Stock-based compensation
+$300,000
No
Added back
β Increase in accounts receivable
β$100,000
Yes
Included (used cash)
+ Increase in accounts payable
+$50,000
Yes
Included (saved cash)
β Approximate monthly cash burn
β β$550,000
So in this example, even though the company reported a $1 million net loss, its actual cash burn is only ~$550k per month because of non-cash expenses.SummaryCash burn measures real cash going out the door.
Non-cash items (like depreciation, stock-based comp, etc.) are excluded β they reduce reported profit but do not consume cash, so they are added back.
The cleanest way to see true cash burn is to look at the cash flow statement and focus on operating and investing cash flows (excluding fundraising).
DYOR