Planning vs Investment Models
Planning vs investment models: what you get for free, and what Build It Yourself unlocks.
Two Tiers, One Journey
Every business type in Radley Finance comes in two tiers, and they map directly onto the two plans:
- Planning Model (free): A fast, guided model for setting targets, pressure-testing assumptions, and aligning your team.
- Investment Model (Build It Yourself): A comprehensive, investor-ready model with monthly and annual financial statements and a full set of fundraising preparation tools.
When you create a new model, you first choose its purpose - Raise investment or Allocate capital - then the business type, then how to start. Most founders start with a Planning Model and upgrade later; your answers carry forward.
The Planning Model (Free)
Overview
The Planning Model is goal-oriented: you set your targets and market, and the app derives the metrics you'd need to hit them - with CFO notes flagging anything that looks aggressive. It produces five-year annual projections in the browser, a defensibility check, and a suggested-raise teaser.
What You'll Answer
The planning wizard is the same four-step flow for every business type, with the questions tuned to your vertical's drivers:
Business details → Market sizing → Funding goals → Review
- A marketplace founder answers about active buyers, current GMV, and average order value
- A SaaS founder answers about paying customers, ARR, and pricing
- Along the way you pick your funding stage, your scenario (Conservative / Base / Aggressive), and your next funding round
Working With a Planning Model
A Planning Model's page has a simple three-step flow: Model Details → Review → Model. The Model step shows your year-by-year P&L and key statements in the browser:
On the free tier you can download a one-page planning summary (PDF); the Excel workbook and the padlocked tabs unlock with Build It Yourself.
The Investment Model (Build It Yourself)
Overview
The Investment Model is built for fundraising scrutiny. A 60-month engine adds monthly statements alongside annual ones, deeper statement detail (working capital, PP&E, retained earnings, multi-round funding), and the in-app fundraising toolkit: Q&A Prep, Investor Memo, Rehearsal, version History, the Ask AI assistant, and a Health Score on your assumptions.
What You'll Answer
When you upgrade, the investment wizard is pre-filled from your planning answers ("Your planning model inputs have been carried over"). You then work through Required Questions → Enhanced Questions → Review & Submit, with a live preview panel recomputing your headline numbers as you type. Enhanced questions are optional - skip any that don't apply.
Working With an Investment Model
An Investment Model's page has a fuller tab set: Assumptions, Review, Model, Q&A Prep, Investor Memo, Rehearsal, History. The Assumptions tab includes the scenario switcher, your suggested raise plan, and section-by-section editing; the Review tab includes the Health Score and a formula explorer that traces any output back to the assumptions that drive it.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Planning Model (Free) | Investment Model (Build It Yourself) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Validate direction, plan your numbers | Fundraising and due diligence |
| Statements | Annual (5 years), in the browser | Monthly + annual (60 months) |
| Downloads | One-page planning PDF | Excel workbook, investor deck (.pptx), investor memo (.pdf) |
| Review checks | Defensibility score + limited insights | Full report: health score, benchmarks, formula explorer |
| Scenarios | Chosen in the wizard | Live Conservative / Base / Aggressive switcher |
| Q&A Prep / Memo / Rehearsal / Ask AI | Padlocked | Yes |
| Suggested raise | Teaser (headline blurred) | Full raise plan |
| Version History tab | No | Yes |
| Xero actuals | No | Coming soon |
How to Choose
Start (or Stay) with a Planning Model If:
- You're exploring a new business idea
- You need projections for internal planning
- You're not actively fundraising yet
Build an Investment Model If:
- You're preparing for a fundraise
- You'll present to sophisticated investors
- You need monthly cash and runway visibility
A good rule of thumb: the Planning Model is for numbers you need to trust; the Investment Model is for numbers investors need to trust.
Upgrading from Planning to Investment
You don't have to decide upfront - you can upgrade anytime.
- Build your Planning Model first
- Work through the Review step to clear flagged issues
- Click Build Investment Model on your model's page (or Continue to investment model on the preview)
- A confirmation dialog summarizes what you'll unlock - and warns you if your planning model still has warnings to review ("They will carry over")
- Your planning inputs pre-fill the investment wizard, and your suggested raise seeds the funding round
- Complete the remaining questions and click Create investment model
See Upgrading to an Investment Model for the full walkthrough.
Common Questions
Can I skip straight to a detailed model? Yes. The start screen has a "Build detailed model (Advanced)" option that opens the full investment-grade wizard for your vertical (Build It Yourself). Planning stays free, and most founders get better results starting there.
Will I lose my Planning Model when I upgrade? No. The same model is upgraded in place, and earlier versions appear in its History tab.
Which model do investors prefer? The Investment Model is designed to meet investor expectations - monthly statements, defensible assumptions, and prep tools for the meeting itself.