Getting Started

Welcome to Captable! This guide will help you set up your company and start managing your cap table effectively.

Quick Start Checklist

1

Create your account

Sign up with your email or use Google authentication

2

Set up your company profile

Add company details, incorporation info, and legal structure

3

Create share classes

Define common and preferred share classes with voting rights

4

Add stakeholders

Import or manually add founders, employees, and investors

5

Issue initial shares

Record founder equity and initial stock grants

6

Configure team access

Invite team members and set up appropriate permissions

Company Setup

Company Profile

Start by entering your company's basic information in the company settings. This includes:

  • Company name: Your legal entity name
  • Incorporation details: State/country of incorporation and date
  • Address: Legal business address
  • Tax ID: EIN or equivalent tax identification number
  • Industry: Primary business sector

Share Classes

Define your equity structure by creating share classes. Most companies start with:

  • Common Stock: Typically issued to founders and employees
  • Preferred Stock: Usually reserved for investor rounds

For each share class, you'll need to specify voting rights, liquidation preferences, and conversion terms.

Stakeholder Management

Adding Stakeholders

Add stakeholders individually or import them in bulk using our CSV template. Include:

  • Full name and email address
  • Stakeholder type (Individual/Institution)
  • Relationship to company
  • Tax information if applicable

Stakeholder Types

Captable supports various stakeholder relationships:

  • Founders and co-founders
  • Employees and contractors
  • Board members and advisors
  • Individual and institutional investors

Initial Equity Grants

Recording Founder Equity

Start by recording the initial equity distribution among founders. This typically involves:

  1. Creating share grants for each founder
  2. Specifying vesting schedules (typically 4-year vesting with 1-year cliff)
  3. Setting exercise prices (often $0.001 for founder shares)
  4. Uploading relevant legal documents (83(b) elections, stock purchase agreements)

Tip: Consider filing 83(b) elections within 30 days of grant for tax advantages on restricted stock.

Team Access & Permissions

Role-Based Access Control

Captable uses role-based permissions to ensure appropriate access to sensitive equity data:

Admin

Full access to all company data, can manage all stakeholders and equity transactions

Custom Roles

Create custom roles with specific permissions for different team members

Invite team members via email and assign appropriate roles based on their responsibilities within your organization.

Ready to dive deeper?

Now that you have the basics set up, explore more advanced features to maximize your cap table management.