What Is A Cap Table?

  • Finance

The cap table is a spreadsheet businesses use to track who owns what percentage of a company. For example, if two people decided to start a restaurant, they would each own fifty percent. At this point, the cap table is very simple. 

Let’s say the restaurant owners are so successful that they open multiple locations. They hire more employees and bring in new investors. The investors will expect shares in the company in return for their investment. The owners also put aside some of the available shares for new and existing employees. At this point, a rough outline of who owns what (saved in an email somewhere) won’t do the trick.

R&D Offer Quiz

Step 1 of 3

Answer to find out if you're eligible for R&D tax credits.

Do the activities performed relate to a new or improved business component’s function, performance, reliability, quality, or composition?(Required)
For Example: A mid-sized packaging company develops a slightly modified cardboard box design to improve its stacking strength (reliability) for warehouse storage, involving minor adjustments to the corrugation pattern to reduce collapse under standard weight loads.
Is your company trying to discover information to eliminate uncertainty concerning the capability or method for developing or improving a business component?(Required)
For Example: A furniture manufacturer investigates whether a cheaper wood adhesive can hold joints as effectively as the current one during assembly, testing bond strength to resolve doubts about its capability in standard production lines.
Do the activities performed constitute a process of experimentation?(Required)
For Example: An auto parts supplier runs a series of bench tests on different lubricant formulations to find one that reduces friction in engine bearings more effectively, systematically comparing wear rates over simulated operating cycles.