CARTA BLOG

Owner’s Manual

Whether you’re getting your first option grant or managing a fund, our blog is the best place to learn about ownership, equity, and the Carta product.

Fair equity is table stakes: 2019 gender equity gap study

See a summary of our second annual gender equity gap study here, and check out the full report (and learn more about what you can do) at tablestakes.com.

Recently added

Private stock picking

Why choosing a job is like picking a stock and what employees should look for in a company.

SaaS company valuations, metrics, and IPOs: An interview with Alex Clayton of Spark Capital

We caught up with former banker and current investor Alex Clayton to ask him some questions about metrics, high valuations, and what it takes for companies to go public.

What is stock dilution?

Common causes of stock dilution The need for new capital: When private companies need more capital, they typically issue new shares to investors in a funding round, which reduces the overall percentage of ownership for existing shareholders. Increasing employee pool: Incoming investors usually require companies to create a stock option pool. The timing of when […]

Announcements

Fair equity is table stakes: 2019 gender equity gap study

See a summary of our second annual gender equity gap study here, and check out the full report (and learn more about what you can do) at tablestakes.com.

Carta Launch open beta

Carta Launch is a free cap table management plan for early-stage companies, available exclusively through our law firm partners.

Improving the Carta experience for law firms

Learn more about our recent product improvements we made on Carta for our law firm partners.

Data & research

SaaS company valuations, metrics, and IPOs: An interview with Alex Clayton of Spark Capital

We caught up with former banker and current investor Alex Clayton to ask him some questions about metrics, high valuations, and what it takes for companies to go public.

Fair equity is table stakes: 2019 gender equity gap study

See a summary of our second annual gender equity gap study here, and check out the full report (and learn more about what you can do) at tablestakes.com.

The state of private company financing in 2018

With increased access to capital, companies find staying private longer increasingly attractive. We decided to take a look behind these headlines and dig into the data.

Equity education

Equity 101 Part 3: How stock options are taxed

We explore what it means to exercise stock options, the taxes you may need to pay, and the common times people exercise their options.

Equity 101 Part 2: Stock option strike prices

What determines a stock option strike price? Learn more about strike prices, how stock options gain value over time, and dilution.

Equity 101 Part 1: Startup employee stock options

Received stock options from your company and don’t understand what that means? Here’s how to make sense of your offer letter and option grant.

Employee resource center

Equity 101 Part 3: How stock options are taxed

We explore what it means to exercise stock options, the taxes you may need to pay, and the common times people exercise their options.

Equity 101 Part 2: Stock option strike prices

What determines a stock option strike price? Learn more about strike prices, how stock options gain value over time, and dilution.

Equity 101 Part 1: Startup employee stock options

Received stock options from your company and don’t understand what that means? Here’s how to make sense of your offer letter and option grant.

Founder resource center

How to value your equity offer (free startup equity calculator)

Learn how to evaluate the equity portion of your job offer and download our free equity calculator to see what your options could be worth.

How to create a cap table (free cap table template)

There’s no standard cap table format, and there are multiple ways to create one. We’ll walk you through a few ways to get started and include a free cap table template you can download.

What to look for in a 409A report (free sample report)

Download our sample 409A report to see what a complete 409A report looks like and help guide your evaluation of 409A providers.

Product education

Find your metrics faster with our new investor design

We’ve made it easier for investors to navigate and track their portfolio.

Carta vs Shareworks

Carta makes it easier to keep your cap table up to date and stay compliant throughout your company’s lifecycle.

How to create a cap table (free cap table template)

There’s no standard cap table format, and there are multiple ways to create one. We’ll walk you through a few ways to get started and include a free cap table template you can download.

From our CEO

Private stock picking

Why choosing a job is like picking a stock and what employees should look for in a company.

Carta in Waterloo

Carta is opening an R&D office in Waterloo, Canada.

Fund administration is broken

With Carta, VCs can see real-time IRR instead of waiting for quarterly updates, work with our experienced team, and run capital calls and share documents with LPs.

How we work

Closing the gender gap in equity: How to fix historical errors in equity distribution

We want to help other companies address their historical equity imbalances. Here’s how we reviewed our own equity guidelines, and how we approached extending fix-it grants to employees.

A better job offer letter

At Carta, we spend a lot of time figuring out how to better educate employees about startup equity. We realized that the job offer letter itself was a good place to do this, so in 2016, we decided to reinvent the offer letter. Check ours out and download it to use as a template.

Introducing Execute, a podcast about Carta from a former employee

Execute is a podcast documentary about the history of Carta and a blueprint for anyone who wants to build a startup. It covers the ups and downs of fundraising, the cultural challenges that result from scaling headcount, and the overall transition from a small, focused team into a legit, revenue-producing company.

Partner stories

How small businesses can become more efficient with their time: A conversation with Jeff Lipp from Artkive

We spoke to Jeff Lipp, cofounder and COO of Artkive, to learn how he spends less time on unnecessary busywork and more time growing the business.

How a clean cap table helps you with an acquisition: Interview with MapAnything’s CFO

During MapAnything’s acquisition in 2019, Carta proved to be a valuable tool that sped along the due diligence process.

How to add unique value as a small VC fund: Lessons from Sinai Ventures

Focus on your differentiator Leverage your network Partner (don’t compete) with bigger firms Be bold Find efficiencies wherever you can

Trends

SaaS company valuations, metrics, and IPOs: An interview with Alex Clayton of Spark Capital

We caught up with former banker and current investor Alex Clayton to ask him some questions about metrics, high valuations, and what it takes for companies to go public.

Starting a women-led fund: An interview with Women 2.0 founder Kate Brodock

We interviewed Kate Brodock, CEO and cofounder of Women 2.0 and founding partner of W, a women-focused fund.

The direct listing nobody is talking about

The iHeartMedia direct listing is different than other direct listings and could have a market-defining impact.

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