Carta
A company that provides capitalization table management software for startups. Its data is cited to show a threefold increase in startup shutdowns from 2021 to 2023.
First Mentioned
1/5/2026, 5:25:55 AM
Last Updated
1/12/2026, 2:35:47 AM
Research Retrieved
1/5/2026, 5:29:18 AM
Summary
Carta, originally founded as eShares in 2012, is a San Francisco-based technology company specializing in capitalization table management and valuation software. It serves over 50,000 companies globally, tracking more than $2.5 trillion in equity and managing $185 billion in assets through its fund administration platform. The company recently faced a significant scandal involving the unauthorized use of customer data to facilitate its secondary markets business, which led to a major breach of trust within the venture capital ecosystem. This incident, discussed extensively on the All-In Podcast, highlighted vulnerabilities in SaaS business models and prompted CEO Henry Ward to face intense scrutiny for his response. The fallout served as a catalyst for industry shifts, including the announcement of new ventures like Chamath Palihapitiya's 8090 incubator and David Sacks' startup Glue.
Referenced in 3 Documents
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
CEO
Henry Ward
Founded
2012
Products
Cap table management, valuation software, fund administration, tax reporting
Legal Name
eShares, Inc. (doing business as Carta, Inc.)
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, USA
Customer Base
50,000+ companies in 160+ countries
Equity Tracked
$2.5 trillion (as of August 2022)
Assets Under Administration
$185 billion
Timeline
- Carta is founded as eShares by Henry Ward and Manu Kumar to digitize paper stock certificates and manage equity. (Source: web_search_results)
2012-01-01
- The company reports tracking over $2.5 trillion in company equity and facilitating $13 billion in secondary-market sales. (Source: web_search_results)
2022-08-01
- The All-In Podcast (Episode 161) discusses the Carta scandal involving the misuse of user data for its secondary markets business. (Source: a7a96b3e-b0a7-41e7-a179-b42068a2117b)
2024-01-12
- Carta reports that 19% of venture deals on its platform in Q4 2024 were down rounds, reflecting a valuation reset. (Source: web_search_results)
2024-12-31
Web Search Results
- Carta (software company)
eShares, Inc., doing business as Carta, Inc., is a San Francisco, California-based technology company that specializes in capitalization table management and valuation "Valuation (finance)") software. The company digitizes paper stock certificates along with stock options, warrants, and derivatives "Derivative (finance)") to allow companies, investors, and employees to manage their equity and track company ownership. The company also operated CartaX, a private stock exchange, which was [...] Carta is headquartered in San Francisco, California. As of August 2022, the company was reportedly tracking over $2.5 trillion in company equity, and had facilitated $13 billion in secondary-market sales. Its customers include Slack "Slack (software)"), Calendly, and Affirm "Affirm (company)"). Henry Ward is the company's CEO. ## References [edit&action=edit§ion=4 "Edit section: References")] [...] Carta was founded in 2012 by Henry Ward and Manu Kumar. ## History [edit&action=edit§ion=1 "Edit section: History")] Carta was founded as eShares in 2012 by entrepreneur Henry Ward and serial investor Manu Kumar. Ward became CEO and Kumar became the company's Chairman. The company launched when the founders saw a need for venture-backed companies to electronically manage equity, issue securities, and track their cap tables.
- Carta
Carta powers interconnectivity in private markets — uniting data, people, and workflows in one connected system. We connect founders, investors, and limited partners through software purpose-built for private capital. Trusted by 50,000+ companies in 160+ countries, Carta’s platform of software and services lays the groundwork so you can build, invest, and scale with confidence. Carta’s Fund Administration platform supports 8,500+ funds and SPVs, representing nearly $185B in assets under [...] #MiamiEvents [Likes: 133, Comments: 3]; Carta (1w): Have you seen attitudes toward down rounds change? Let’s discuss 👇 For years, down rounds were seen as a signal of distress—something to be avoided at all costs. But in today’s environment, perspectives have shifted. 📉 In Q4 2024, 19% of venture deals on Carta were down rounds, continuing a trend that started with the valuation reset in 2022. Many startups that raised funding in 2024 had last raised in a pre-2022 era of higher valuations. Now, [...] management, with tools designed to enhance the strategic impact of fund CFOs. Carta has been included on the Fortune Best Large Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance and Best Workplaces in the Bay Area lists, Forbes’ list of the World's Best Cloud Companies, Fast Company's Most Innovative list, Inc.'s Fastest-Growing Private Companies list, and is certified as a Great Place to Work for 2025-2026 (3 years running!). For more information, visit carta.com.
- What is Continuous Adaptive Risk and Trust Assessment (CARTA)?
CARTA is an improved security framework, especially for businesses that cannot apply RBAC to everyone accessing their network. Traditional RBAC is still a security best practice, but CARTA adds additional protection. One of CARTA’s main strengths is that it can monitor and react to user behavior post log-in. CARTA leverages ML, AI, and automation to detect and respond to anomalies and potential threats. ## Next Steps [...] > ## What is Continuous Adaptive Risk and Trust Assessment (CARTA)? > > Continuous Adaptive Risk and Trust Assessment (CARTA) is an IT security framework that goes beyond traditional role-based access control (RBAC). By adding attribute-based access control (ABAC), it enables continuous, context-aware security assessment in real time. Gartner introduced CARTA in 2010, building on its original Adaptive Security Architecture. [...] Continuous Adaptive Risk and Trust Assessment (CARTA) is an IT security framework that goes beyond traditional role-based access control (RBAC). By adding... Credential Stuffing Credential stuffing is a type of cyber attack that occurs when a person or bot steals account credentials, such as usernames and passwords, and tries to... Credential Stuffing vs. Password Spraying: What's the Difference?
- Carta | The End-to-End Suite Connecting Private Capital
Carta is our central nervous system for fund admin. When Carta Fund Tax was announced, I was eager to consolidate yet another function. They already had all of our fund's data, so it made sense to let them prepare our returns. Salil Deshpande GP, Uncorrelated Ventures The scalability is definitely there with Carta. A platform that connects us to real-time information lets us grow our investor base and, following, our asset base. Without a partner like Carta, we run into bottlenecks. [...] Tap into Carta’s bench of seasoned pros—fund admins, tax experts, analysts and more—who deliver unmatched knowledge to inform decision-making. ## Trusted by With Carta, I can review a high volume of data in a fraction of the time. Because the same data powers both fund administration and tax reporting, I can work in one system throughout. It expedites the process. Matt Moran CFO, DataTribe [...] We saw the cap table and the auxiliary functionality—tax, compliance, the total comp—all coming around the Carta ecosystem, and we felt Carta has this network effect that we wanted to buy into. Troy Sultan CEO and Co-Founder, Guide We can balance internal and compliance deadlines all year because information is always flowing. I don't have to do anything: Carta has our master data and automatically syncs it between administration and taxes. Ankur Jain Managing Partner, Emergent Ventures
- Carta - Stanford
"[Carta] is a very vital part to my life decisions. Every time I don't plan out a quarter fully [with Carta] I regret it after." "I’m actually using Carta to narrow in on the courses that I think are going to be most valuable." "Explore Courses tells you what the class is about, but I feel like Carta gives you a more accurate reflection of what the students are saying." Explore ## Find a class that fits your needs. [...] # Make the most of your Stanford Experience. ## Carta helps students make data-driven decisions to craft their educational paths. # 2016 Launched as a research project by the CartaLab # 6 research papers by the CartaLab enabled by this platform # 30+ undergraduate engineers and designers over the past 4 years # 95% of undergraduate students use Carta regularly ## Tools for maximizing knowledge and realizing potential [...] We’re building a course planning tool tailored to the undergradute experience because as students grow, their tools should grow with them. Work with us ## We've got big plans on the way. Interested in changing the way students craft their educations? Curious what we’re up to as a student-run team? Shoot us an email, chat with our designers, or apply to join as a student designer or engineer!
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Carta, Kilmacshane ED, Ballinasloe Municipal District, County Galway, Connacht, Éire / Ireland
Coordinates: 53.2411932, -8.0056339
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