Self-serve cap table setup: getting investor-ready without white-glove onboarding
A practical checklist for founders who want to import historical equity, invite stakeholders, export reports, and keep records ready for diligence and appraisals—without paying for onboarding or professional services from the vendor.
CapTableFree is built to be fully self-serve: you can sign up, load your data, manage the cap table, add users, and share reports on your own timeline.
Many equity platforms bundle cap table software with onboarding calls, implementation projects, or upsells. That can work for large enterprises, but early-stage teams often want software they can adopt in an afternoon—especially when the product is meant to stay free.
What self-serve should mean
Self-serve cap table management is not “figure it out alone forever.” It means the product is designed so a competent founder, finance lead, or counsel can complete the core workflow without a mandatory services engagement: company profile, share classes, historical issuances, option pool, SAFEs or notes, stakeholder access, and exports that match what investors ask for in data room reviews.
Checklist: first login to investor-ready
- Source of truth: Gather PDFs, spreadsheets, and board approvals so issued shares, options, and convertibles are consistent.
- Classes and rounds: Model common, preferred, and any special terms that affect conversion or participation.
- Stakeholders: Invite finance, legal, and founders with the right permissions; avoid sharing admin credentials.
- Reports: Generate ownership summaries and transaction history your leads can drop into a data room.
- Ongoing hygiene: Update the table when you close a round or approve a grant—before the next conversation with counsel or investors.
409A valuation-ready data (we do not perform appraisals)
CapTableFree does not provide 409A valuations. We help you keep clean, exportable cap table documentation so an independent appraiser has what they need. When you pick a valuation firm, ask what export format they prefer and keep grant dates, exercise prices, and share counts aligned with your board approvals.
How paid platforms position onboarding
Incumbents often combine software with services or tiered plans—examples include Carta Launch, Pulley cap table management, and regional platforms such as Orchestra for share registry workflows. CapTableFree focuses on the same core records with unlimited free self-serve use for teams that want to own the workflow end to end.
Run your cap table free, end to end
Unlimited shareholders, rounds, and users. No credit card. Sign up and invite your team when you are ready.
Create free accountCapTableFree is free cap table software for teams that want ownership, clarity, and export-ready records.