Cap Table Generator
Add founders and rounds (pre-money, investment, option pool) to see ownership per round.
Written by Golam Rabbani, Founder & Lead Engineer
How to use this cap table generator
- Add each founder with their name and the shares they hold at founding.
- Add one funding round per priced raise — round name, pre-money valuation, investment, option pool %.
- Use "+ Add round" to chain multiple rounds in sequence; each one builds on the previous.
- Press Generate cap table to see the ownership table after every round.
- Use Copy cap table to grab a tab-separated table for a spreadsheet, or Reset to start over.
About this cap table generator
A capitalization (cap) table is a record of every share, option, and convertible an emerging company has issued, and the resulting ownership percentages. This generator models the standard priced round: price per share = pre-money valuation ÷ existing shares; new investor shares = investment ÷ price per share; post-money = pre-money + investment. If you specify a target option pool %, the tool expands the pool *before* the financing closes — the standard "pre-money pool" structure — so existing founders absorb the dilution from both the new investors and the new pool.
Worked example. Two founders start with 6,000,000 and 4,000,000 shares (60/40). Seed round: $5,000,000 pre-money, $1,500,000 investment, 10% post-money option pool. Price per share = $5M ÷ 10M = $0.50. New investor shares = $1.5M ÷ $0.50 = 3,000,000. Pool sized so pool ÷ total post = 10%, giving ≈1,444,444 pool shares. Post-money total ≈ 14,444,444 shares. Final ownership: Founder A 41.5%, Founder B 27.7%, Seed investors 20.8%, Option pool 10.0%. Add a Series A round to see how a higher pre-money cushions dilution.
Real cap tables include vesting, SAFEs, warrants, and preferred liquidation terms. Use this generator for first-pass modeling, then verify with a lawyer-reviewed cap table before signing.
FAQ
- What does "pre-money option pool" mean?
- Investors typically require the option pool to be created or topped up before they invest, so the pool dilutes only existing holders (founders) rather than them. This tool models that "pre-money pool" mechanic by default.
- How is price per share calculated?
- Price per share = pre-money valuation ÷ total shares outstanding before the round. So a $5M pre-money on 10M shares gives $0.50/share. Investors then buy investment ÷ price per share new shares.
- What is the difference between pre-money and post-money valuation?
- Pre-money is the company's value before the new investment. Post-money = pre-money + investment. New investor ownership = investment ÷ post-money.
- Does the tool handle SAFEs or convertible notes?
- Not directly. Model the conversion of SAFEs into an equivalent priced round by adding a "shadow" round at the cap (or discount) and entering the SAFE money as the investment amount.
- Can I add secondary sales or share buybacks?
- Not yet. This generator assumes monotonically increasing share counts. For secondary transactions, model them outside the tool and adjust founder shares manually before the next priced round.
- Is the cap table saved anywhere?
- No. The cap table is built in your browser and lost when you close the tab. Use Copy to export to a spreadsheet for permanent storage.