Board-Ready Startup Metrics

Purpose: VCs measure money, not uptime. This dashboard shows what investors actually care about.

The Priority Stack

RETENTION > REVENUE > GROWTH

Why this order?

• Retention: Proves you solve real pain (can you KEEP customers?)
• Revenue: Proves unit economics work (is it PROFITABLE?)
• Growth: Proves scalability (can it GET BIGGER?)

VCs invest in retention first. Growth without retention = leaky bucket.

Core Metrics (Track These Weekly)

1. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

What it is: Predictable monthly revenue from subscriptions

How to calculate:

MRR = # of customers × average revenue per customer per month

Example:

• 10 customers × $500/mo = $5,000 MRR

Target:

• Pre-seed: $5K-$10K MRR