FinelystCap Table Explained: How to Read and Model Ownership
A cap table shows who owns what in your startup. Learn how to read one, how rounds and option pools change it, and how to model dilution step by step.
Equity & cap tables
Equity and cap tables explained: co-founder splits, founder vesting with cliffs and leaver clauses, option pools and how dilution changes ownership.
Co-Founder Equity Split: A Fair Framework That Works
How to split equity between co-founders: equal vs unequal splits, a weighted scoring method with a worked example, and why vesting matters more than the number.
Employee Option Pool Explained: Size, Timing, Dilution
What an employee option pool is, how to size it from your hiring plan, why a pre-money pool lowers your effective valuation, and how to negotiate it.
Founder Vesting Schedule: Cliffs, Leavers, Acceleration
How a founder vesting schedule works: the 4-year schedule with a 1-year cliff, a month-by-month example, good and bad leaver terms and acceleration on exit.