Cap table calculator.

Model founder equity, option pools, and investor ownership across multiple funding rounds. See exactly how dilution lands before you sign the term sheet.

Why every founder should run their cap table.

A cap table is the legal record of who owns what. Modelling it before each round turns dilution from a surprise into a deliberate decision.

  1. 01
    See dilution before it happens.Model the round before you sign. Cap tables look very different after a $2M seed than founders usually expect.
  2. 02
    Make the option pool decision.Creating it pre-round dilutes everyone; post-round dilutes only founders. The order matters, sometimes a lot.
  3. 03
    Negotiate from data.Walking into a term sheet conversation with the math already done shifts the dynamic — investors notice.
  4. 04
    Plan Series A onwards.What looks fine at seed can become a Series A problem. Run multiple rounds now while it's still hypothetical.

Founding team.

Shares allocated at incorporation.

Percentage of company reserved for employee stock options (typically 10-20%)

Investment rounds.

Add up to 3 priced rounds. The model walks the cap table forward — diluting existing shareholders and issuing new shares to investors at each round's price per share.

No rounds added. Add a Seed, Series A, or other priced round to model dilution. You can skip rounds entirely if you only want the founding cap table.

Key cap table concepts.

Pre-Money Valuation

The value of your company before receiving investment. Investment is added on top of this value.

Post-Money Valuation

The value of your company after receiving investment. Investment is included in this value.

Dilution

The reduction in ownership percentage that occurs when new shares are issued. All existing shareholders are diluted proportionally.

Option Pool

Shares reserved for future employees. Typically 10-20% of the company. Usually created before raising investment.

Price Per Share

Calculated by dividing the pre-money valuation by the number of shares outstanding.

Fully Diluted Shares

Total shares including all issued shares and reserved option pool shares.

Common cap table mistakes.

  1. 01
    Not creating an option pool before raising money (investors will make you do it, diluting founders)
  2. 02
    Accepting overly dilutive terms in early rounds (gives away too much equity too early)
  3. 03
    Not accounting for future rounds when planning dilution
  4. 04
    Ignoring founder vesting (should be in place before raising money)
  5. 05
    Not understanding the difference between pre-money and post-money valuation
  6. 06
    Raising too much money too early at a high valuation (down rounds are painful)

Pro tip: create your option pool before raising. Post-round, only founders get diluted. Pre-round, founders and investors share the dilution.

More startup calculators.

  1. Equity Split Calculator

    Determine fair equity distribution among co-founders

  2. Startup Valuation Calculator

    Calculate your startup’s pre-money and post-money valuation

  3. Vesting Calculator

    Calculate equity vesting schedules for founders and employees

  4. 409A Calculator

    Estimate 409A valuation for employee stock options

Modelling the cap table means you're ready to build.

Cap table modelling means you're thinking about ownership — which means you're serious about building. I work with early-stage founders to turn ideas into shipped products in Next.js, TypeScript, and Firebase.

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Built by Taro Schenker — full-stack developer who works with startups and local businesses.