Startup capital
How much do I need to open the doors, and where does it come from?
Size the number first, then stack the cheapest sources. Most businesses never raise venture capital and do not need to.
Built from Ch 6, App A of the handbook, updated by the 2026 research (S06).
3 tools
How much do you need to open the doors?
The handbook's opening balance sheet as a calculator: runway cash, opening stock, equipment and prepaid costs add up to one number you can go and raise.
worksheetStack your sources, cheapest first
Nine sources in order of what they cost you. Record how much you expect from each and on what terms, then check the total against your launch number.
quizWhich funding path is actually yours?
Five honest questions that sort you into bootstrap, credit and grants, angels and calm capital, or venture. Most businesses are not venture businesses, and that is not a failure.
Stuck on something specific?
Ask the adviser. It answers only from the handbook and the 2026 research, tells you which source each answer came from, and says so plainly when the research does not cover your question.