| Item | Supported value | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Post-money valuation | Pre-money valuation plus the investment | Add the raise to any pre-money figure before you compare offers or work out ownership. |
| Pre-seed round | Typical range $100K to $1M; usual dilution 10-15% | Check whether a small first raise is selling a sensible slice of the company. |
| Seed round | Typical range $1M to $5M; usual dilution 15-25% | Compare the dilution an offer implies with what seed rounds usually involve. |
| Series A | Typical range $5M to $15M; usual dilution 25-35% | Expect to give up a larger share as rounds grow, and model it before you pitch. |
| SaaS revenue multiple | 8x ARR in 2025 data, down from 15-20x in 2021 | Treat older multiples quoted by advisers or peers with caution, because the market has moved. |
Figures come from Omni Calculator’s pre- and post-money guide and Swipesum’s startup valuation guide; round ranges are typical values, not limits.
A startup valuation calculator gives you a working range, not a verdict. It turns a few inputs, such as recurring revenue, growth and the size of the raise, into a pre-money figure you can test against investor offers.
Use that range to decide what to ask for, how much to sell and which method to trust at your stage. For the wider path from idea to funding, start with our guide on how to start a startup.
What a valuation result changes in practice
Pre-money valuation is the value of a company’s equity before the investment flows in, as Omni Calculator explains. Every decision that follows, from the ownership you sell to the cheque you accept, depends on whether you and the investor are talking about the pre-money or the post-money number.
Ownership and the cap table
Post-money valuation equals pre-money valuation plus the investment. That one relationship lets you read any offer from either direction. Omni Calculator’s example has an investor putting in $25,000 for a 5% stake, which implies a $475k pre-money valuation and a $500k post-money valuation.
The same logic works at a larger scale. A company with a $10M pre-money valuation that raises $2.5M in a Series A reaches $12.5M post-money, and the new investor holds 20% of the company. Whatever the size of the round, the new stake belongs on your cap table straight away, so model it before you sign anything.
Round size, stage and dilution
Round size and dilution move together, and Swipesum’s stage guide shows how the usual pattern shifts as a company matures. If a calculator suggests a valuation that would leave you selling far more than your stage normally involves, the cause is usually the input assumptions or the amount you are trying to raise, not bad luck.
- Fix the pre-money first. Agree which valuation basis is on the table before discussing the percentage, since the same cheque implies different ownership under each basis.
- Size the raise to the stage. A request far outside the typical range for your round invites questions the calculator cannot answer for you.
- Price equity before you sell it. Once you have a defensible number, our guide on How To Sell Startup Equity In 2026: Practical Steps To Raise Cash Without Killing Growth – Startalliance covers how to turn it into a raise.
Choosing a method for your stage
Method choice matters more than the calculator’s interface, because each approach needs different evidence. Founder Shield’s valuation tool describes where each one fits, and the main question is how much financial history you have.
- Discounted cash flow: calculates present value from projected future cash flows. It needs at least 12 months of financial history and reasonably predictable revenue, so it suits companies that already trade.
- Comparables: applies sector multiples drawn from recent rounds or acquisitions. It works best for startups in established industries with identifiable peers, and poorly where no real peer exists.
- Scorecard method: compares the startup with typical pre-money valuations in its region and sector, then adjusts for factors such as team, market and competition. It is particularly useful for pre-seed and seed companies with limited financial history.
- Berkus method: assigns value to five components for pre-revenue startups, and each component can add up to $500K.
If you have no revenue, start with the scorecard or Berkus approach. If you have a year of records and predictable income, a discounted cash flow model becomes credible, and comparables can then check it against the market.
Revenue multiples by sector
A revenue multiple scales annual recurring revenue (ARR) to a company value, and the multiple depends heavily on sector. Swipesum’s benchmarks put FinTech at 6-8x ARR, HealthTech at 8-9x ARR and e-commerce at 3x ARR. SaaS sits at 8x ARR in 2025 data, down from 15-20x in 2021.
The same guide also lists a typical SaaS valuation multiple of 12x ARR, alongside average gross margins of 70-80% and median monthly recurring revenue growth of 10-15%. Those two SaaS readings, 8x and 12x, show how much the choice of benchmark moves a result. A SaaS company could reasonably see a range between them rather than a single multiple, and its margins and growth relative to those typical levels help decide where it falls.
E-commerce sits well below the other sectors, so a store should not borrow a software multiple. Pick the benchmark that matches your business model and gross margin, and expect an investor to challenge a multiple taken from a hotter period.
Calculator inputs and building a range
Most calculators ask for very little. Swipesum’s tool uses just four key inputs: monthly recurring revenue, industry, growth rate and the investment you want. Lighter Capital’s valuation calculator asks for six business details: industry, age, headquarters country, customers, annual revenue and yearly growth rate. HubSpot’s calculator for startups takes six questions and returns an estimated valuation range.
Growth is the input that moves the answer most visibly in Swipesum’s approach. Its base growth multiplier rises with the growth rate, so a faster-growing company receives a larger adjustment before the sector multiple is applied.
- Use consistent revenue periods. Enter monthly recurring revenue where a tool asks for it and annual revenue where it asks for that, and do not mix the two.
- Run more than one tool. Different calculators ask for different inputs, so a spread between their outputs shows the range you should plan around.
- Keep the sector honest. Choose the industry that matches how you earn revenue, since the sector multiple carries much of the result.
How far to trust the output
Calculator output is a starting point. Omni Calculator’s pre- and post-money tool solves for two of four values from the other two and does not answer how much a startup is worth in the general sense. It will not estimate worth from revenue or traction, so it belongs at the end of your analysis, when you convert an agreed valuation into ownership.
Swipesum describes valuation as both an art and a science, which is why qualitative factors still count alongside the metrics. Team strength and market position rarely fit in a four-field form, and an investor will weigh them regardless of what your spreadsheet says.
Founder Shield advises combining methods for a balanced view, with at least one quantitative method in the mix. Reconcile the calculator range with investor feedback as it arrives, and adjust your ask rather than defending a number you cannot support.
Where to go next
If you are still deciding what to build before worrying about price, How To Find Startup Ideas: A Practical 2026 Playbook For Founders – Startalliance covers that earlier stage. Once you have traction, come back to the range and refine it with new revenue figures.
Frequently asked questions
How do I value my startup?
Match the method to your history: scorecard or Berkus for pre-revenue companies, comparables where peers exist and discounted cash flow once you have at least 12 months of records. Then use a calculator to turn the agreed pre-money figure into ownership, as Founder Shield and Omni Calculator describe.
Why can a 409A valuation come in below an investor’s figure?
A 409A valuation typically sits 10-30% lower than investor valuations, according to Founder Shield. Treat the two as different measures rather than as competing answers.
Can a startup valuation be negative?
No. A company cannot be worth less than zero, so a valuation is zero or greater, as noted by Omni Calculator.
