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Liquidity
Understand how liquidity events can turn your equity into cash
Explore articles and guides to prepare for every type of private company liquidity event—from tender offers to IPOs.
Popular articles
Secondary transactions
Going public
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Popular articles
Author:
Jackie Ammon
Date:
December 2023
featured article
Liquidity events
Liquidity events allow shareholders to turn illiquid equity into cash. Learn more about IPOs, M&As, tender offers, and other secondary transactions.
Founder Education
December 2023
Business exit strategies
An exit strategy outlines how and when a founder, CEO, or investor plans to liquidate a company. Learn more about IPOs, M&As, liquidations, and buyouts.
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Liquidity
August 2023
Liquidation preferences
We cover both standard and non-standard terms for each of the various rights and liquidation preferences, and how they can affect stockholder payouts.
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Founder Education
May 2024
Waterfall analysis
Learn how to model exit scenarios using waterfall analysis. Waterfalls help investors predict how shareholders would be paid out at a future liquidity event.
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Learn more
Secondary transactions
Author:
Kevin Dowd
Date:
July 2024
featured article
Secondary markets
Understand the function of the private secondary market and how companies can benefit from secondary liquidity and secondary market transactions.
Liquidity
December 2023
Tender offers
Learn about tender offers, the tendering process, and how tenders work for private and public companies. Get all the answers to your tender offer questions.
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Liquidity
December 2023
Private block trades
Secondary block transactions allow investors to buy or sell shares outside company-sponsored transactions. Learn how secondary market private block trades work.
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Employee Resource Center
July 2022
How to sell private company stocks
If your company isn’t public, selling shares can be complicated. Learn how to sell stocks in a private company through tender offers and secondary transactions.
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Carta Liquidity
Go from idea to IPO — all on one platform.
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Going public
Author:
The Carta Team
Date:
December 2023
featured article
IPO readiness
This IPO readiness guide includes a checklist and timeline for pre-IPO companies that are in the process of transitioning from private to public.
Liquidity
March 2023
Initial public offerings (IPO)
An IPO is when a private company trades shares on a public stock exchange for the first time. Learn more about the IPO process & alternative exit options.
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Liquidity
June 2023
Special purpose acquisition company (SPAC)
Learn what a SPAC is, how the deal process works, and how a special purpose acquisition company merger differs from a traditional IPO.
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Equity Education
June 2019
Direct listings
Learn why private companies like Spotify and Slack are opting for a direct listing instead of an IPO.
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Mergers & acquisitions
M&A: A definitive guide to mergers and acquisitions
The M&A process: How to know when the time is right to sell
What happens to stock when a company is bought?
Purchase price allocation (PPA): How it works
State of Private Markets
Authors:
Peter Walker & Kevin Dowd
Date:
February 2024
featured article
State of Private Markets: Q4 and 2023 in review
While volatility diminished in 2023, fundraising activity in the startup ecosystem remained near recent lows in Q4 2023.
Data & Research
October 2023
State of Private Markets: Q3 2023
The downturn that has defined the venture capital industry for much of the past two years continued in the third quarter of 2023.
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Data & Research
May 2023
State of Private Markets: Los Angeles
Across Q4 2022 and Q1 2023, Los Angeles County was the fifth-busiest county for venture investment in the U.S., according to Carta data.
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Data & Research
July 2023
State of Private Markets: Q2 2023
The venture economy stabilized somewhat in Q2.
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Latest articles
article
Secondary markets
Understand the function of the private secondary market and how companies can benefit from secondary liquidity and secondary market transactions.
View
article
Asset sale vs. stock sale
Explore the differences between two types of M&A deal structures: asset sales and stock sales. Learn the tax implications for each type of sale to see whether an asset or stock sale is right for your company.
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article
Is a chilly market for IPOs on the brink of heating back up?
IPOs are the lifeblood of venture capital, but they've been few and far between in recent years. Investors are watching to see if the success of some recent high-profile listings will provide a much-needed spark.
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article
Waterfall analysis
Learn how to model exit scenarios using waterfall analysis. Waterfalls help investors predict how shareholders would be paid out at a future liquidity event.
View
article
Leveraged buyout (LBO)
A leveraged buyout (LBO) is a type of M&A exit strategy. The buyer uses debt as leverage to finance a substantial portion of the transaction.
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article
Startup M&A is holding steady despite an IPO chill
Between Q1 2021 and Q1 2022, the number of M&A deals targeting startups on Carta increased by 79%.
View
article
Business exit strategies
An exit strategy outlines how and when a founder, CEO, or investor plans to liquidate a company. Learn more about IPOs, M&As, liquidations, and buyouts.
View
article
Private block trades
Secondary block transactions allow investors to buy or sell shares outside company-sponsored transactions. Learn how secondary market private block trades work.
View
article
Tender offers
Learn about tender offers, the tendering process, and how tenders work for private and public companies. Get all the answers to your tender offer questions.
View
Learn more
