The Startup Growth Calculator

There's one number that separates startups that make it from those that don't. Not headcount. Not funding. Not press. Growth rate.

We've added a new tool to the TechTO website that makes that number impossible to ignore.

Plug in your monthly revenue, expenses, and growth rate. The Startup Growth Calculator instantly maps your trajectory, showing you when you'll be profitable, how much capital you'll need to get there, and how your path stacks up against companies like Shopify, Stripe, and Apple.

The difference between 8% and 10% monthly growth doesn't feel that big today. On this chart, it's the difference between two completely different companies.

Inspired by Trevor Blackwell's calculator and Paul Graham's essay. Modernized for founders by TechTO.

Free, no login required, works on desktop and mobile.

I loved Trevor's calculator. Used it constantly in the early stages of building, plugging in our actual numbers each month, taking screenshots, and watching the trajectory shift in real time. There was something almost addictive about it. I would find myself figuring out how many more months we would need to be default alive, and then keep going, how many more to be the biggest company in the world (just 72 months away from Apple!).

What it drove home, every single time, is that nothing matters but growth rate. That is what a startup is. Obsess over that number, and everything else follows.

It isn’t that founders don’t care. It’s that no one ever made it this easy to see. Here is when I would pull it up:

• Before walking into a fundraise. Investors are already thinking in growth curves; they just do not always tell you that. When you walk in knowing exactly which line you are on and which one you are building toward, the whole conversation shifts. You are no longer answering their questions. You are telling your story.

• With your team when you are setting direction. Instead of debating strategy in the abstract, pull this up and ask one question: which line are we on, and which one do we want to be on? I have found that making growth visual cuts through a lot of noise.

• When something feels off but you cannot name it. We have all been there. Plugging in your real numbers has a way of making the truth hard to ignore, and that is a good thing. You can’t act on a feeling. You can act on a number.

But the original calculator was old and unloved. The design felt dated, you couldn’t enter exact numbers, it didn’t work on mobile, and it anchored on $1B in annual revenue as the goal. I think $100M is the right first target - meaningful, achievable, and a real milestone worth building toward. So I revisited it, updated it for a more modern founder.

I hope you get as much joy playing with it and dreaming about your growth rate as I did. Feedback is welcome. I will keep improving it.

Jason Goldlist, CEO of Venue.ink and Co-Founder of TechTO

Every founder on this list has lived the growth curve you just plotted. Here's what they learned at each stage.

Burn the Boats: How zofiQ Got Acquired 9 Months After Launch | Lee Silverstone → Stop optimizing the chart before you've validated the business.

What you'll learn: Why obsessing over customer pain before chasing growth is the only move that actually compounds.

The moment: An industry every investor dismissed. Acquired nine months after launch.

Watch if: You're still finding your footing and want a founder who'll tell you exactly what worked and what didn't.

Bootstrapped to Global: Pixieset's Quiet SaaS Story | Simon Wong → Not every line on the chart needs to go up fast. This is what deliberate, compounding growth looks like.

What you'll learn: Why slow, profitable growth is a legitimate strategy, and what it actually looks like from the inside.

The moment: Two people, no funding, $5M ARR before their first hire.

Watch if: You're feeling pressure to raise before you're ready, or questioning whether bootstrapping can still build something global.

From Founder-Led to Sales-Led: How to Scale From $2M to $10M | Paul Griffin → You're default alive. Now the real question is - can the business grow without you?

What you'll learn: The exact messaging, motion, and scoreboard your sales team needs to run without you.

The moment: One ICP. One pain point. One promise. If your rep can't say it in 10 seconds, you're not ready to hire.

Watch if: Your pipeline still depends on you showing up - and you want to change that before it becomes your ceiling.

What YC Doesn't Tell Canadian Founders | Ryan Marien, BioRender → The honest debrief on what it actually takes to go for the top of the chart - from someone who did it from Toronto.

What you'll learn: What YC actually gives you, what it doesn't, and why building something people truly want is the only shortcut that exists.

The moment: The entire round raised in 24 hours on demo day. Profitable since 2019. Grown 70 to 100x since.

Watch if: You're ready to think bigger and want a realistic picture of what the path from here to global actually looks like.

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