You can download a simplified example of a cap table in this article. Although a topic widely discussed, nearly all cap tables I’ve seen so far are disorganized and unclear. Investopedia defines a cap table as a spreadsheet which tracks the ownership stake in a company, typically a startup or early stage venture. From my perspective, the most important reasons for maintaining a cap table are:
Company Ownership – to know at a glance who owns what in your company
Raising Money – important decisions are made based on the numbers that appear in the spreadsheet. Also, investors usually are interested in knowing, for example, who already has a stake in your company or who owns stock options
Waterfall or Exit Proceeds – a solid cap table is the underlying foundation for calculating the various amount of exit proceeds each shareholder will receive
For these reasons, I have attached a neat and relatively easy-to-use cap table. You can download the excel file here . Because of its reduced complexitiy this version is probably most suitable for early-stage startups planning to raise the first equity round where no convertible loans were issued before.
If you need any help please do not hesitate to get in touch with me via e-mail at admin[aett]ai-invest.com. Also, if you need a more complex version of this cap table (including e.g. anti-dilution provisions, outlined esop participation rights or convertible loans) or a cap table with waterfall calculations.
Cap Table Download