Bessemer Efficiency Score Calculator

The Bessemer Efficiency Score is a SaaS operating metric that compares growth against burn or profitability. It helps show whether a company is growing efficiently or buying growth too expensively.

The score typically combines ARR growth with free cash flow margin. A higher score means the business is producing stronger growth for each unit of cash consumed.

Benchmarks vary by company stage, but higher scores are generally better. Investors often use the metric to compare SaaS companies across growth and capital efficiency profiles.

SaaS founders, finance teams, operators, and investors can use it to review growth efficiency before planning budgets, fundraising narratives, or board updates.

Both look at growth and efficiency, but the Bessemer framework is commonly used for cloud and SaaS operating quality, while the Rule of 40 is a broader growth-plus-profitability benchmark.

Yes. Rapid ARR growth can still produce a weak efficiency score if it requires heavy burn, poor gross margin discipline, or unsustainable customer acquisition spend.