Cap Table

Definition

A spreadsheet that tracks who owns what percentage of a company, growing increasingly depressing with each funding round as the founders' share shrinks like a wool sweater in a dryer. It's the scoreboard of startup capitalism.

Example Usage

"I looked at the cap table after our Series C and discovered I own 3% of the company I built from scratch, which still feels generous compared to my co-founder's 1.5%."

Related Terms

Beginner

feature creep

The continuous addition of new features to a product beyond its original scope, usually resulting in bloated, confusing software that pleases no one. The disease killing promising MVPs since software began.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

rolling fund

A venture fund structure where capital commitments are made quarterly rather than in one large closing, allowing GPs to start investing immediately. The subscription model comes to venture capital.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

deployment pace

The speed at which a VC fund invests its committed capital. Deploy too fast and you look desperate; too slow and your LPs wonder if you can actually find deals.

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

graduation

When a startup 'grows up' from an accelerator program or moves from seed to institutional funding, like leaving college but with more awkward Demo Days. Implies you're now playing with the big kids.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

pattern matching

When VCs make investment decisions based on superficial similarities to previous successful startups rather than rigorous analysis. It's why they love Stanford dropouts building social apps in their dorm rooms.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

equity crowdfunding

Raising capital from numerous small investors through online platforms, democratizing access to startup investment and the opportunity to lose money on early-stage companies. Kickstarter, but instead of getting a T-shirt, you get illiquid securities.

🚀 Startup / VC

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idkwurta

I don't know what you are talking about....