How We’d Build an Investor-Ready Forecast for a SaaS Company Raising $20M

You’re a SaaS CFO. You’ve got 3–6 months of runway, an ambitious pipeline, and investors asking one question:

Where does the money go?

Most teams show up to fundraising with an operating plan.
What investors want is a capital allocation machine.

One that flexes. One that tells a story. One that earns confidence—before the pitch even begins.

We’ve built fundraising models for SaaS companies from $5M to $50M ARR. Here’s what we’d do if you needed to raise $20M today—and your model had to close the gap between narrative and numbers.

What Investors Actually Want from Your Model

They’re not looking for your assumptions.
They’re looking for your thinking.

In 2025, smart investors are trained to spot the difference between a spreadsheet and a signal.

Here’s what earns attention:

Clarity on burn vs. growth tradeoffs
Forecasts tied to measurable inputs, not wishcasting
Break-even visibility at multiple funding levels
A plan that works even if the fundraise is delayed

If your model doesn’t answer those, the capital won’t either.

The 3-Model Stack We’d Build for a Raise

When a client is raising $20M, we never walk in with just one model.

We build three.

1. Base Case – Current Strategy, Current Risk

Your team’s best-case version of reality.
This is what you believe will happen based on current inputs.

Key elements:
• Bookings and churn modeled by segment
• CAC by channel, fully burdened
• Hiring plan tied to headcount timing and ramp
• Cash runway tied to real invoice timing, not GAAP

2. Contingency Case – Capital Delayed or Reduced

Same goals, less fuel.

This case assumes the round slips 6+ months or closes at 60% of target.

Key elements:
• Adjusted GTM spend and headcount timeline
• Stretch runway by shifting hiring and vendor contracts
• Reprioritize roadmap spending to core functions
• Include cash buffer trigger points

3. Asymmetric Upside Case – If the Round Overperforms

This case is built to show what you could do with more firepower.

Key elements:
• Acceleration in strategic bets (AI, global GTM, key hires)
• Faster ramp on CAC-positive channels
• Expanded margins through vendor leverage
• Time-to-breakeven stays stable or improves

The trick isn’t just building three versions—it’s knowing what actions tie to each. The investor doesn’t want three forecasts. They want one story with multiple plays.

One Table: Capital Allocation Across Scenarios

The Mistake Most FP&A Teams Make

They model “what they hope” and present it as fact.
They don’t build flex paths. They don’t pressure-test cash.
They don’t reverse-engineer how the capital will actually be used.

The result? A forecast that sounds like a pitch—but folds under questioning.

You need a model that works in the boardroom, not just the back office.

Four Questions Every SaaS CFO Should Be Able to Answer in the Room

1. If we only raise $10M, what do we cut—and what stays?

2. How fast can we get to net cash flow positive if capital dries up?

3. What’s the CAC payback curve by segment, not just average?

4. Where are we over-allocating resources relative to revenue risk?

These aren’t “model questions.” They’re leadership questions. And your model should answer them before anyone has to ask.

Five Triggers That Should Force a Forecast Update During the Raise

• Round slips beyond 30 days

• NRR dips below 100%

• AI competitor launches pricing attack

• Key hire stalls or backs out

• Pipeline coverage dips below 2x target

When one of these hits, you don’t panic. You switch cases, rerun cash, and rebrief leadership. That’s operational readiness—not financial optimism.

How We’d Build It

We run our clients through this framework in three stages:

Week 1
Model current case with real segment assumptions
Map timing of revenue, spend, and hiring with cash reconciliation
Stress-test scenario logic

Week 2
Build low case: if capital arrives late or smaller
Link decisions to triggers—hiring, vendors, GTM pacing
Insert board-level response playbook

Week 3
Build upside case
Draft capital deployment roadmap tied to round size
Package model for investor walkthrough (not just review)

This isn’t about fancy modeling.
It’s about control.

What We’ve Seen

When SaaS CFOs walk into the pitch with this system, two things happen:

They’re not rattled when the round slips—they’ve already planned for it
They earn more trust, faster—because the plan doesn’t just live in theory

One of our clients recently said it best:
“We stopped selling the future. We started managing it.”

That’s the difference between raising capital—and chasing it.

Ready to Build a Model That Earns Its Money?

We’re helping SaaS teams from $5M to $100M ARR roll out investor-grade forecasting models that do more than look good.

They perform. Under pressure. With clarity.

If you’re raising capital in the next 6 months and want a model built for volatility, not vanity—DM us or contact us through our site.