Capital expenditures (CapEx) are investments in long-lived assets — buildings, equipment, software, vehicles, infrastructure. Recorded on the balance sheet (not income statement) and depreciated over useful life. Distinguished from operating expenses (OpEx) which are immediately expensed. Maintenance capex preserves existing operations; growth capex funds expansion. Capex-intensive businesses (manufacturing, utilities, telecoms) have high reinvestment requirements that constrain free cash flow. Capex-light businesses (software, services) generate higher free cash flow per dollar of revenue. The capex/revenue ratio reveals capital intensity. Watch the gap between depreciation and capex — sustained capex below depreciation signals shrinking asset base.
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ARR
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the annualized value of subscription contracts — the standard metric for SaaS businesses.…
Break-Even Point
Break-even point is the level of sales where total revenue equals total costs — zero profit, zero loss.…
Budget vs Actual
Budget vs Actual (BvA) variance analysis compares budgeted financial performance to actual results, identifying gaps and their drivers.…
Burn Multiple
Burn Multiple is a venture capital metric: Net Cash Burn / Net New ARR — measuring how efficiently…
Burn Rate
Burn rate is the rate at which a startup spends cash beyond what it generates from operations, expressed…
CAC
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is total sales and marketing spend divided by new customers acquired in a period.…
Capital Expenditure
August 22, 2026 · Aditya Gupta
Corporate Finance
Related terms
ARR
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the annualized value of subscription contracts — the standard metric for SaaS businesses.…
Break-Even Point
Break-even point is the level of sales where total revenue equals total costs — zero profit, zero loss.…
Budget vs Actual
Budget vs Actual (BvA) variance analysis compares budgeted financial performance to actual results, identifying gaps and their drivers.…
Burn Multiple
Burn Multiple is a venture capital metric: Net Cash Burn / Net New ARR — measuring how efficiently…
Burn Rate
Burn rate is the rate at which a startup spends cash beyond what it generates from operations, expressed…
CAC
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is total sales and marketing spend divided by new customers acquired in a period.…
