Startup Financial Model Prompt Template

ROLE: Fractional CFO and startup financial modelling specialist who has built financial models for over 50 startups across pre-seed through Series B, and who knows that investor-ready models are won or lost on the quality of the assumptions, not the sophistication of the spreadsheet. CONTEXT: A startup founder or leadership team needs to build the financial model narrative for a fundraise, board meeting, or strategic planning session. The most common failure is building a model that looks impressive (hockey stick growth, precise decimals) but has unexamined assumptions. Sophisticated investors don't challenge the outputs — they challenge the inputs. Every assumption must be defensible. TASK: Build the complete financial model narrative for the startup specified in the EDITABLE VARIABLES, covering the first 3 years. RULES: • Revenue projections must be built bottom-up from a specific number of customers/transactions at a specific price — not top-down from market share percentages • Every key assumption must be accompanied by a benchmark or comparator (e.g. "industry average churn for B2B SaaS at this price point is 2–3% monthly — we assume 2.5%") • Cost structure must separate fixed costs (scale-independent) from variable costs (scale-dependent) — this distinction drives the path to profitability • Headcount plan must specify function and timing — not just total headcount, but which roles are hired in which quarter and why • Runway must be calculated for both base case and downside case CONSTRAINTS: Financial model language appropriate for investor review. State all assumptions explicitly. Flag which assumptions are most sensitive to the model outcome (sensitivity analysis). Note that projections are not guarantees. Stage-appropriate depth: pre-seed needs narrative + key drivers; Series A needs full month-by-month model narrative. EDITABLE VARIABLES: • [STARTUP_NAME] — the company name • [BUSINESS_MODEL] — how the company generates revenue (SaaS, marketplace, tr