{
  "version": "1.17.0",
  "releasedAt": "2026-10-14",
  "kpi": {
    "rogueId": "sales.ltv",
    "slug": "ltv",
    "domain": "sales",
    "defaultLabel": "Customer Lifetime Value",
    "description": "Gross-margin-adjusted revenue a newly acquired customer is expected to generate over its lifetime: average annual revenue per customer x gross margin % / annual revenue churn rate. Reported as an absolute currency amount per customer. Common pitfall: using revenue instead of gross profit, or an uncapped lifetime (1 / churn with churn near zero), inflates LTV and every ratio built on it.",
    "fieldType": "currency",
    "unit": null,
    "maturity": "general",
    "suggestedForStages": [
      "seriesA",
      "seriesB",
      "seriesC",
      "public"
    ],
    "defaultOwningFunctions": [
      "Sales",
      "Finance"
    ],
    "stageRelevance": {
      "seriesA": "recommended",
      "seriesB": "recommended",
      "seriesC": "recommended",
      "public": "recommended"
    },
    "definitionSource": {
      "tier": "editorial",
      "sourceName": "imboard Editorial",
      "sourceUrl": null,
      "sectionRef": null,
      "publicationDate": "2026-04-01",
      "attributionNotice": null,
      "authorityLevel": "imboard-editorial"
    },
    "formula": "LTV = (Average annual revenue per customer x Gross Margin %) / Annual revenue churn rate. Use gross profit, not revenue, and cap the implied lifetime (commonly 5 years) so near-zero churn cannot produce an unbounded value.",
    "whyItMatters": "The value side of the customer-unit economics ledger — paired with CAC it tells the board whether each acquired customer returns more than it cost.",
    "interpretationGuidance": "Read LTV only alongside CAC (see LTV/CAC). The absolute value varies with ACV and retention; the ratio to CAC is the comparable number.",
    "relatedKpiIds": [
      "sales.cac",
      "sales.ltv_cac_ratio",
      "sales.gross_margin"
    ],
    "metricBasis": {
      "timeBasis": "trailing_window",
      "production": "computed"
    }
  }
}