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Show HN: Grade your growth rate using Paul Graham's two-number math

A new tool grades startup growth rates against Paul Graham's 15%-a-month benchmark, analyzing monthly revenue to project billion-dollar trajectories and provide actionable growth insights.

read1 min publishedJun 14, 2026

billion-dollar growth curve?

Paul Graham says a startup comes down to two numbers: your growth rate and how long it lasts. Answer a few questions and we measure both, honestly, against his 15%-a-month bar.

Connect your LLM Gateway #

Bring your own key. We run the analysis on your model of choice.

Answer a few questions about your business #

The only required input is your monthly revenue. Everything else sharpens the read.

Two numbers, per Paul Graham #

In his talk How to Earn a Billion Dollars, Paul Graham argues a startup's outcome comes down to just two numbers: its growth rate, and how long that growth lasts. At 15% a month, revenue multiplies about 4,384x over five years, enough to make a typical founder a billionaire. Neither number requires cheating.

You get it by making something users love so much they tell their friends. We measure your compound monthly rate and grade it against the 15% bar.

You get it by being in a big market. Market size sets how long growth can compound. Cheating cannot manufacture either number.

A real growth verdict #

  • Your compound monthly growth rate, across the full window and the trailing 3 and 6 months
  • A 0-100 growth-health score and letter grade, anchored to PG's 15%/month bar
  • Projections of where each growth rate lands you in 1, 2, and 3 years
  • Your time to a $1B revenue run-rate vs the 15%/month path
  • Your phases read off the actual revenue series: ignition, scaling, plateau
  • Copy-paste prompts for the specific growth moves that re-accelerate the curve
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