Carta and GetDynasty partner to simplify trust planning for private-company equity holders

For founders, executives, investors, and employees at private companies, equity is one of the most valuable assets they'll ever hold. It can also be the most heavily taxed asset when it's sold. In 1993, the Qualified Small Business Stock tax exemption was introduced by the U.S. government as a mechanism to promote entrepreneurship, allowing founders to take advantage of up to $15 million of tax-exempt gains on an equity sale. Over the past 30 years, many (but still not enough) startup founders have taken advantage of this, but even fewer have benefited from multiplying the benefit by setting up multiple trusts for their families that contain private stock. Part of that reason is that QSBS trust formation has been expensive, complicated, and spread across multiple providers, with setup costs running upward of $50,000. 

Today, that changes: Carta has selected GetDynasty as our partner for trust creation, making the process simple and fully digital.

GetDynasty is a fully digital platform for founders and early employees to create and manage QSBS-eligible trusts in minutes, at a fraction of the traditional cost. Through this partnership, Carta customers can work with GetDynasty to create and fund a trust digitally, with Carta providing the key valuation and tax tools that often trip up equity holders, such as independent gift & estate valuations and Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) attestations.

Together, Carta and GetDynasty are connecting steps to simplify trust formation so more founders, investors, and employees can realize this tax benefit. 

How it works

When private-company shares are gifted to a trust, equity holders need an independent gift & estate valuation to determine the value of the shares moving into the trust which is required as part of the gift tax filing (Form 709). Carta already conducts hundreds of gift and estate valuations annually for individuals—audit-ready documents used in exactly this kind of transfer.

Founder shares can also qualify for QSBS treatment when certain requirements are met. Carta’s QSBS attestation tool helps shareholders document whether their shares qualify by verifying information on the company and the shareholder. As part of this partnership with GetDynasty, Carta can generate a QSBS attestation letter for shares held by a trust that are eligible for favorable tax treatment, creating peace of mind when there is a liquidity event in the future.

GetDynasty handles the rest: trust formation, share transfer documentation, and ongoing trust administration, through a fully digital platform designed for founders and private-company equity holders.

Together, we are replacing a multi-vendor, multi-handoff process with a single connected workflow—from creating trusts to valuing shares to funding the trust.

For founders, early investors and early employees thinking about estate planning and long-term financial wellness, getting this documentation in place early is often the most important step.

Trust planning and QSBS management tends to become most relevant during pivotal company moments—a new financing round, a growing valuation, or the early signs of a liquidity event. These are also the moments when acting early matters most. Until now, taking advantage of those windows meant coordinating attorneys, valuation firms, and QSBS documentation across separate providers—adding cost and complexity that put the strategy out of reach for many.

This partnership changes that. Trusts for private equity are now simple, digital, and within reach.

Click here to learn more.