Capital Formation Plan
FOLLOW ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS!
Develop a high-level funding schedule using an Excel spreadsheet for your new venture business concept that can be used to discuss cash requirements for the first year of operations with prospective investors. The spreadsheet should be prepared on a monthly basis and should include the following specific details:
Headcount plan – include all personnel need to carry out the critical operations of the business for the upcoming year.
Personnel Count |
CEO |
Lead Developer |
COO |
Sales Executive Admin Assistant |
General & administrative expenses, including office rent and related costs, utilities, communication expenses, insurance, filing fees, etc.
General Expenses | |
Office Lease | 12,000.00 |
Insurance | 2,500.00 |
Communication Expenses | 10,000.00 |
Legal/ Patent Fees | 10,000.00 |
Tier 1 Data Center Lease | 120,000.00 |
Estimate the cost of how you plan to market the company/product.
Marketing Expenses | |
SEO | 20,000.00 |
Social Media Marketing | 80,000.00 |
Tradeshows | 25,000.00 |
PR Firm(s) | 10,000.00 |
Develop your revenue model, including key assumptions and variables such as unit sales, sales growth, number of customers by the end of the year, product pricing, etc., Make the model flexible enough to enable you to change key variables and run “what if” analyses.
Notes:
- Show realistic growth in unit sells.
- Show no Ad revenue for the first 8 months.
- Show now product revenue for the first 1 month due to free upgrade period.
Products | Sell Price |
HD Live Streaming (Per month) | $149 |
HD Live Streaming (Pay-per-day) | $15 |
Display Player | $5 |
Personal Domain | $1 |
Ad Free Service | $5 |
Quic Store Products | $30 |
Global Ticker Ad Unit | $15,000 |
Small Ad Unit | $2,500 |
Large Ad Unit | $5,000 |
Major Traffic Channel Small Ad Units | $5,000 |
Major Traffic Channel Large Ad Units | $15,000 |
Customers | Year 1 |
Monthly Active Users | 613,180 |
Daily Active Users | 367,908 |
Mobile Monthly Active Users | 245,272 |
Total Users | 981,088 |
If the cost of delivering your product or service is significant, forecast the cost of goods sold based upon estimate costs and the product assumptions used in item 4 above.
Note:
- Product delivery cost is minimal due to its software form.
- Use standard online software delivery cost assumptions to create this section.
After preparing the initial funding plan, critically review the plan and assumptions (including having advisors and other management team members review the plan for reasonableness). Adjust the month-to-month results to “normalize” the cash balance (and ensure it never runs below $0), adjusting discretionary expenses if necessary.
Upon completion of the financial model, answer the following questions:
- How much funding do you need to operate during the first 12 months of operations? Please include your numeric answer and an explanation of several sentences.
- Does the amount of cash needed in item 1 above fall within the “reasonableness range” for an early stage company (i.e., up to $5 million)? Please include your numeric answer and an explanation of several sentences.
- What is your monthly cash burn rate – both gross and net burn (gross burn is the average of total expenses each month; net burn is gross burn offset by the average monthly cash generated from revenues). Please include your numeric answer and an explanation of several sentences.
- How long will you be able to operate at the end of the 12 months forecast before you need additional funding? Please include your numeric answer and an explanation of several sentences.