Company Overview
About Carta
Carta is the leading equity management platform for startups, venture funds, and employees, managing cap tables, fund administration, 409A valuations, and secondary transactions for over 40,000 companies and 2 million employees. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Jose, Carta has become the de facto standard for startup equity infrastructure, processing trillions of dollars in equity value and serving the majority of venture-backed US startups. The company achieved a $7.4 billion valuation in 2021.
Business Model & Competitive Advantage
Carta's platform covers the full equity lifecycle: founding team cap tables, SAFE and convertible note tracking, stock option plan administration, employee stock plan portals, 409A independent appraisals, and fund administration for over 5,000 VC funds. The company also operates CartaX, a private secondary market enabling employees and early investors to sell shares in pre-IPO companies. By 2025, Carta's network effects — every transaction involves multiple parties on the platform — create significant switching costs.
Competitive Landscape 2025–2026
In 2025, Carta faces growing competitive pressure from Pulley and Shoobx (Capshare), which have targeted founders frustrated with Carta's pricing increases and long-term contract requirements. The company has also faced scrutiny over data use practices, with allegations that it used confidential market data for competitive purposes leading to a public controversy. Carta's response has been to strengthen data governance commitments. Revenue is estimated at $400M+ ARR with continued dominance in the VC-backed startup segment, though its grip on early-stage companies is being challenged.
Open Positions
Reddit Discussions
Key Differentiators
Emerging Innovator
Carta is an emerging player bringing innovative solutions to the Finance market.
Frequently Asked Questions
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