> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://handbook.opencoreventures.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://handbook.opencoreventures.com/startup-manual/gtm/growth.md). # Growth Growth is single most important factor in determining whether, how quickly, and on what terms companies can fundraise. OCV companies have \~9-12 months to show meaningful traction. If a company struggles to gain traction, we may wind it down. Growth is shown through usage and revenue metrics. Investors want to see an obvious demand for a commercial product. For an enterprise company, meaningful growth could be a handful of logos at a few hundred thousand in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Early-stage startups operate on a weekly growth cadence: week-over-week (WoW) growth goals and product deliverables. That’s why OCV meets with Pre-Seed companies weekly. The most successful founders drive growth efforts in the early stages. Investors will want to know that you've figured out growth and have a deep understanding of your growth channels. Understanding your growth channels means you know where to spend to grow more. ## In this section

Topic
Growth Goals Weekly growth targets, WAU, activation, retention, and carrying capacity.
Growth metrics CAC, churn, retention, LTV, and LTV/CAC.
Content Marketing Topic selection, titles, and distribution.
Events & Conferences When events pay off and how to measure them.
Public Relations News hooks, rapid response, and PR support.

## Growth formulas reference guide

Metric	Formula
CAC	Total Spend ÷ New Paid Customers
Gross Margin	(Revenue − COGS) ÷ Revenue
Payback Period	CAC ÷ (Monthly Revenue per Customer × Gross Margin %)
LTV	(Monthly Revenue per Customer × Gross Margin %) ÷ Monthly Churn Rate
LTV:CAC	LTV ÷ CAC (target ≥ 3:1)
MRR	Sum of active, successfully-paid recurring revenue
ARR	MRR × 12
NDR	(Start + Expansion − Contraction − Churn) ÷ Start (target > 100%)
GRR	(Start − Contraction − Churn) ÷ Start (target > ~90%)
CRR (logo retention)	(End Customers − New Customers) ÷ Start Customers (target ~90%)

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