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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryMarketing FinanceBurn Multiple

Marketing Finance

Burn Multiple

Net cash burned divided by net new annual recurring revenue in a period; lower means more capital-efficient growth.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Burn multiple is net cash burned divided by net new annual recurring revenue in a period; a lower number means more capital-efficient growth. A burn multiple of two, for example, means a company spends two dollars to add one dollar of ARR. Investors use it to compare startup efficiency across different stages and growth rates.