Guides, best practices, and thought leadership on cap table management, startup equity, 409A valuations, and modern financial operations.
54 articles
Learn what a 409A valuation is, why the IRS requires one before issuing stock options, how much it costs, and how to maintain safe harbor protection.
When a startup grants equity to an employee or advisor, the document that makes it official is the stock option agreement. This agreement defines the terms of the grant, protects both the company a...
What is a cap table? Learn how capitalization tables work, what to include, and common mistakes. Free cap table software for startups.
How the Model Context Protocol and AI agent protocols are transforming cap table management — from static data stores to queryable, real-time equity intelligence.
You just incorporated your startup. You want to give your first engineer equity. Your lawyer tells you that you need something called a "409A valuation" before you can grant stock options. But what does that actually mean, and why does the IRS care about the price of your startup's stock?
The 83(b) election can save founders hundreds of thousands in taxes — but only if you file within 30 days of receiving restricted stock. Here is everything you need to know.
Equity management has a software problem. Not in the sense that the software doesn't work — most cap table platforms do exactly what they were built to do. The problem is that they were built for a...
When a potential acquirer comes knocking, the excitement of an exit can quickly turn to dread once due diligence begins. The cap table — that seemingly straightforward spreadsheet tracking who owns...
What is vesting? Learn how cliff vesting, graded vesting, and the standard 4-year schedule work. Understand equity vesting for stock options, RSAs, and RSUs.
Equity dilution is one of the most important concepts every founder, investor, and employee needs to understand. Whether you're raising your seed round, negotiating an option pool, or planning a Se...
Learn how vesting schedule calculators work, model a 10,000-option grant with a 1-year cliff, and calculate your equity value at every milestone.
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