Value Alpha · Quick Estimate
Know what your business is worth. In 30 seconds.
Enter revenue, EBITDA, industry, growth. Get a VA Range, bear, base and bull, grounded in 11,000+ SMB comps. No signup, runs in your browser. This is a limited analysis: it does not use the licensed datasets a full valuation runs on.
For a negotiation-grade number, run a full valuation - 29 valuation methods across 43 industries, PDF memorandum.
What this calculator gives you
A business valuation calculator estimates what a company is worth by applying an earnings multiple to its revenue, EBITDA or SDE. This one returns a VA Range, a bear, base and bull estimate with a confidence score, drawn from 11,000+ comparable companies, in under a minute and with no signup. It is a limited screening analysis; a full Value Alpha valuation runs 29 valuation methods across 43 industries and delivers a PDF memorandum.
VA > INPUT
$5.0M revenue
18.0% margin
Estimate based on industry comparables. Not a certified appraisal. A full valuation runs 29 valuation methods plus a sector model: DCF, comparable companies, precedent transactions, bottom-up, asset floor, Monte Carlo, and more.
•VA Range•Your estimate
The real thing
Twenty-nine valuation methods. One VA Range.
This is a one-model screening estimate. A full Value Alpha valuation runs 29 valuation methods across 43 industries, then blends them into a VA Range with a detailed report.
Three searches, one tool
Valuation of a business calculator
Searchers who type valuation of a business calculator want a number for a specific company, not a theory. This tool gives one in the form buyers actually use: an earnings multiple. Enter revenue, EBITDA or SDE, industry and growth, and the calculator applies the industry median multiple from 11,000+ comparable companies, adjusted for your margin and growth profile, then returns a VA Range of bear, base and bull values. Owner-operated businesses are priced on SDE at roughly 2x to 4x; management-run companies on EBITDA at roughly 4x to 9x, rising with size. The full sector tables are in our business valuation multiples by industry guide.
Private company valuation calculator
A private company has no share price, so its value has to be built from its own financials and from what comparable companies sold for. That is why this calculator asks for earnings rather than market data, and why the basis matters: use SDE if you are a working owner whose pay and perks run through the P&L, and EBITDA if salaried management runs the business, after add-backs for one-time and personal expenses. Applying an EBITDA multiple to an SDE figure, or the reverse, is the most common private-company valuation error. Private businesses also carry discounts for customer concentration, owner dependence and unaudited books; the multiples guide lists what each one costs.
DCF business valuation calculator
This page does not run a DCF; it runs a multiples engine, which is the right first step for a stable business with steady margins. A discounted cash flow model replaces multiples when the future does not look like the past: a company growing fast, one investing ahead of revenue, or one whose earnings are temporarily depressed, where a multiple on current earnings understates or overstates value. A full Value Alpha valuation runs both, DCF alongside Comparable Companies and Precedent Transactions, and blends them into the VA Range. For the mechanics, projections, WACC and terminal value, read DCF analysis explained for private companies.
People also ask
Each question below is answered once, on the page that owns it.
The Rules
Four rules every valuation must pass
A single-point estimate is not a valuation. A valuation without a date is a rumor. These are the rules we enforce on every output.
Range, not point
A valuation is a range. Anyone selling a single number is selling a fiction.
Sourced, not guessed
Every number traces back to a comp, a filing, or a published multiple. If you cannot click the source, it is not a valuation.
Dated, not static
Every output carries an AS OF timestamp. A valuation without a date is a rumor.
Scored, not asserted
Every output carries a confidence score. Trust is a number, not an adjective.
The Real Thing
Twenty-nine valuation methods. One VA Range.
This calculator runs one engine. A paid Value Alpha valuation runs the full set of VA engines - core methods plus sector-specific models - then blends them into the VA Range using industry weight rules.
Core engine
DCF
5-year projection, terminal value, WACC, sensitivity tables.
Core engine
Comparable Companies
EV/Revenue, EV/EBITDA, P/E from 11,000+ reference companies.
Core engine
Precedent Transactions
Real deal multiples from 9,000+ completed transactions.
Core engine
Bottom-Up Unit Economics
Revenue per unit, capacity, and utilization models for services.
Core engine
Asset Floor
Net asset value as the downside boundary of the range.
Core engine
Monte Carlo
10,000 simulations for the full probability distribution.
Sector engine
LBO
Leveraged buyout model with IRR targeting for PE / searcher deals.
Sector engine
Sum-of-the-Parts
Segment-level valuation for multi-business holdings and diversified operators.
Sector engine
Biotech SOTP
Risk-adjusted pipeline NPV per drug program, phase probabilities applied.
Sector engine
SaaS Rule-of-40
Growth + profit blend with NRR, CAC payback, and magic number adjustments.
Sector engine
Franchise Unit
Per-location cash flow models for franchised and multi-unit operators.
Sector engine
Real Estate Floor
Underlying property value for owner-occupied and hospitality businesses.
Go Deeper
Read the guides
How-To · 8 min
How the Value Alpha Business Valuation Calculator Works
Under the hood: the industry multiples, the growth adjustment, the confidence scoring, and why the output is a VA Range and not a single number.
Concepts · 12 min
What Is Alpha in Private Business? The Five Sources of Excess Returns
Alpha in private markets is excess return above a benchmark. Five sources: information asymmetry, operational improvements, multiple arbitrage, valuation gaps, and roll-ups.
FAQ
Common questions
How is this calculator different from other business valuation tools?
Every other calculator gives you one number. Value Alpha gives you a range - a VA Range with bear, base, and bull estimates, a confidence score, and the comp count behind every output. A valuation without a range is a guess.
What methodology does the calculator use?
This page runs a single engine: industry median EBITDA multiples from 11,000+ SMB comps, adjusted for your growth rate and margin profile. A full Value Alpha valuation runs the full set of VA engines - DCF, Comparable Companies, Precedent Transactions, Bottom-Up unit economics, Asset Floor, Monte Carlo, plus sector-specific engines like LBO, Sum-of-Parts, and Biotech SOTP - and blends them using industry-specific weight rules.
How accurate is this estimate?
It is a screening estimate, not a formal appraisal. The confidence score on every output tells you how tight the range is. For a real decision - a sale, a buy, a partner buyout, or a lender - run the full set of VA engines and receive a detailed valuation report.
What is the difference between EBITDA and SDE?
EBITDA is used for businesses where the owner does not work in the business. SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) adds the owner's compensation back - it is the standard metric for smaller owner-operated businesses. For this calculator, enter whichever your financials report. The multiples adjust automatically.
Do I need to enter my real financials?
No. Enter any numbers you like. The estimate is computed in your browser. When you unlock it, the figures you entered, your business name and your email are sent to Value Alpha so we can follow up. Nothing else is stored.
What is a VA Range?
The VA Range is Value Alpha's signature output: a named, range-based estimate with a confidence score and full source trail. It is the private-market equivalent of Bloomberg's BVAL or Morningstar's Fair Value Estimate. Every paid valuation produces one.
The Next Step
Twenty-nine valuation methods. One defensible VA Range.
When the number matters - a sale, a buy, a buyout, a lender - a screening estimate is not enough. Run the full set of VA engines.