Appendix L · Unit Economics & Cohort Analysis · March 2026

Unit Economics & Cohort Summary

Unit profitability and cohort behavior analysis for the VIBEUP platform. Covers LTV, CAC, gross margin, payback, and contribution margin with definitions — plus cohort retention tables by signup quarter. All figures reconciled to the Financial Model (Appendix C) and KPI Dashboard (Appendix H).

Methodology

CAC uses fully-loaded S&M spend ÷ new customers. LTV uses 24-month DCF window at 10% discount rate. Gross margin excludes fixed OpEx. Cohort retention tracks % of original cohort paying at each month milestone. Pre-launch (Apr 2026+) figures are model projections aligned to 35% QoQ growth target scenario.

CAC (2026)

$22

vs $85+ paid benchmark

LTV 36mo (2026)

$350

Values-aligned cohort

LTV:CAC (2026)

14.5×

→ 56× by 2030

Payback Period

8 mo

→ 4 months by 2030

Gross Margin

72%

→ 87% by 2030

Contrib Margin

~$12/mo

Per paying user

Monthly Churn

3.5%

→ 1.8% by 2030

Net Retention

96.5%

→ 98.2% by 2030

LTV & CAC Trajectory (2026–2030)

Gross Margin & Contribution Margin (2026–2030)

LTV Accumulation Curve — Average Member (Months Post-Signup)

CAC of $22 recovers at month 8. By month 36 cumulative LTV of $350 returns 15.9× the initial CAC.

Cohort	Month 1	Month 3	Month 6	Month 12	Month 18	Month 24	Month 30	Month 36
Q1 2026 (Apr-Jun)	100%	82%	70%	58%	50%	44%	39%	35%
Q2 2026 (Jul-Sep)	100%	84%	72%	61%	53%	47%	42%	38%
Q3 2026 (Oct-Dec)	100%	86%	75%	64%	56%	50%	45%	41%
Q4 2026 (Jan-Mar)	100%	87%	76%	65%	57%	51%	46%	—
Q1 2027 (Apr-Jun)	100%	88%	78%	67%	59%	53%	—	—
Q2 2027 (Jul-Sep)	100%	89%	79%	68%	—	—	—	—

Plain-English definitions of every metric on this page, with VIBEUP-specific context for each.

CACCustomer Acquisition Cost

Total sales & marketing spend divided by new customers acquired in the period. VIBEUP's blended CAC ($22 in 2026) is primarily driven by the ambassador/creator GTM channel — significantly below the $85+ paid acquisition benchmark for wellness apps.

LTVLifetime Value (36-month)

Projected cumulative revenue from an average customer over 36 months, net of COGS (processing, AI, hosting). Calculated as ARPU × (1 - monthly churn)^t summed over 36 periods. We use 36-month LTV to capture full customer lifecycle and compounding retention improvements.

LTV:CACLTV to CAC Ratio (36-month)

Core efficiency metric showing revenue returned per dollar of acquisition spend over 36-month customer lifetime. Industry benchmark for healthy SaaS is 3x+. VIBEUP targets 14.5x in 2026 expanding to 56x by 2030 as CAC falls and retention improves. Driven by organic/ambassador GTM with near-zero marginal CAC at scale.

Gross MarginGross Profit Margin

Revenue minus direct COGS (payment processing, AI API, hosting, CDN, content moderation), divided by revenue. As a software platform, VIBEUP has no physical COGS. Target 72% at launch expanding to 87% by 2030 as AI costs per unit fall and infra amortises.

Contribution MarginContribution Margin per User

Revenue per user minus variable costs (COGS) and directly attributable variable opex (amortised S&M, G&A allocation). Represents the profit contribution of each marginal user before fixed costs. Target ~$12/user/month in 2026, growing to ~$18 by 2028 as CAC amortises faster.

Payback PeriodCAC Payback Period

Months required to recover the CAC from a customer's gross profit contribution. Calculated as CAC ÷ (ARPU × gross margin). 8 months in 2026 compressing to 4 months by 2030 as gross margin expands and CAC falls.

Cohort RetentionMonthly Cohort Retention Rate

Percentage of a customer cohort (grouped by signup quarter) that remains active N months after joining. Values-aligned platforms like VIBEUP structurally outperform generic social apps on retention because identity investment increases switching cost.

Churn RateMonthly Revenue Churn Rate

Percentage of MRR lost each month from cancellations or downgrades, excluding expansion. Target 3.5% at launch (in line with early-stage wellness apps) trending to 1.8% by 2030 as community stickiness and Mira personalisation compound.