Startup Cap Table Template (2026)

Most founders find out what a round actually costs them after they have signed it. This template is built to show you beforehand. The Pitchwise Cap Table is an open shareholder ledger that runs from incorporation through Series B. Every shareholder gets their own row: founders, angels, funds, advisors, and the option pool. Enter an investor's cheque, and the model works out how many shares that buys at the round's price and what percentage of the company it represents. There is room for 150 shareholders, so a long angel list or several rounds of follow-ons fit without touching a formula.

The model runs on two connected sheets. The Cap Table is the ledger where you list each holder, pick their share class and the round they joined, and enter either a cheque size or a share count. Their fully diluted shares and ownership percentage fill in automatically. The Rounds sheet is the pricing engine, where you set each round's pre-money valuation and target option pool. It works out the price per share every investor in that round pays, and each round's total raise adds itself up from the cheques on the ledger, so the two sheets can never drift apart.

It handles the option pool the way real term sheets do. The pool is topped up before each round closes, so the new options dilute the existing holders rather than the incoming investor. The Rounds sheet also tracks combined founder ownership after every round, so you can read your whole dilution journey in a single line, from 90 per cent at founding down to whatever the last round left you with.

Rounds you have not raised yet stay dormant. Leave the pre-money blank, and that stage sits quietly until you need it, so the same file works whether you are three weeks past incorporation or closing a Series B.

Blue cells are your inputs. Everything else is calculated.

• Open shareholder ledger with 150 rows, one row per holder
• Rounds engine covering Founding, Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A and Series B
• Automatic price per share for each round, calculated from your pre-money valuation
• Fully diluted share count and ownership percentage for every shareholder
• Option pool modelled with the standard pre-close top-up
• Combined founder ownership tracked after every round
• Dropdown share classes: Common, Preferred, Pool, SAFE, Warrant and Advisory
• Dormant rounds you can activate as you raise them
• Plain English glossary covering every term in the model

• Pre-seed and Seed founders building their first proper cap table
• Founders modelling what a round will cost them in ownership before they sign
• Operators preparing for a raise who need a clean, current ownership record
• Angels and advisors tracking their position across successive rounds
• Accelerator teams and advisors helping portfolio companies get their equity in order