Institutional Grade Modeling

Aligned with IRS Section 409A standards

Demystify your startup options.

Most startup employees have no idea what their equity is actually worth. Use this tool to run an immediate, anonymous mathematical visualization of your gross equity stakes.

Option A: Upload Document Offer

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Want to save the typing? Drag & drop or browse your offer/equity letter and/or your 409A appraisal (Supports PDF, XLS, XLSX). Our parsing engine will safely extract variables.

Option B: Manual Variables Entry

Total Options / Shares Granted

Current Share Price / Strike Price ($)

Current Growth Round Stage (Optional)

Total Outstanding Company Shares (Optional)

Your Percentage Ownership Allocation (%)

Total Estimated Company Valuation ($)

ℹ️ Transparency Tip: Not every early-stage company proactively reveals this core evaluation number in your initial offer letter, but it is a completely standard and highly reasonable metric to request them to clarify during your alignment conversation.

Estimated Gross Value (Current Target)

Gross Value Projection Scenarios Matrix

Target Valuation Profile Your Estimated Gross Stock Value

📋 Unlocked: The Equity Negotiation Playbook Framework

📋 Section 1 - Key Elements of Your Grant + Vesting ▼

Answer the basic target terms of your upcoming offer below to parse immediate strategic vulnerabilities and receive high-leverage scripts:

1. Are these ISOs (Incentive Stock Options), NSOs (Non-Qualified), or RSUs?

2. Have you requested the company's most recent 409A valuation or last priced round valuation?

3. What is the proposed vesting cycle length?

4. Are there any performance-based incentive accelerators?

5. What happens to your unvested equity if the company gets acquired?

6. What happens to my unvested shares if I'm laid off?

💰 Section 2 - QSBS Tax Strategy + Early Exercise ▼

🌟 The $10 Million Tax-Free Holy Grail (QSBS)

If this company qualifies as a Qualified Small Business (QSBS), you can legally owe $0 in federal capital gains taxes on up to $10 Million in profits. To capture this massive advantage, you must purchase your stock and hold onto the shares for a minimum of 5 continuous years. Let's model your roadmap to hitting this window below.

Choose your circumstances below to determine if early exercising fits your financial realities:

1. Does your offer explicitly grant "Early Exercise" privileges?

2. Is an upcoming company fundraising round currently in motion?

3. Out-of-Pocket Purchase Cost Calculation Check

Based on your inputs, to purchase your full block of shares today, you would have to pay:

📖 Read Carta's Guide on Early Exercises & 83(b) Forms →

🚪 Section 3 - What Happens if You Leave or Exit ▼

This module is for folks with high negotiating leverage looking to maximize their offer or who want to make minor changes to their existing offer.

1. How long do I have to exercise my options after I leave? (Post-termination exercise window)

2. What is the company's preferred exit path — IPO, acquisition, or stay private?

3. Does the company have a secondary market or have they allowed employees to sell shares?

📄 Section 4 - Email Templates to Use and Send ▼

Select a tab below to quickly view tactical copy-and-paste email scripts to clear up structural grey areas or open equity conversations:

Subject: Clarification on Offer Details & Tax Planning Parameters

"To help me map out my long-term personal tax planning and understand the structural timeline of this offer, could you share the company's most recent 409A strike price valuation alongside our current preferred investor valuation? Additionally, I'd love to know if the company is self-sustaining or profitable today, or what our current runway timeline is before needing additional venture capital funding rounds."

Subject: Structural Alignment on Equity Milestone Tranches

"To keep my long-term architectural milestones matched perfectly with typical market execution horizons, I want to bring this grant into structural alignment with a standard 4-year cycle featuring a 1-year cliff."

Subject: Clarification Request: Outstanding Shares Baseline Portfolio Overview

"To just confirm I before signing — what does my grant actually represent as a percentage of the company? Just want to make sure I'm looking at the full picture. Could you just share the total outstanding shares at this time?"

Subject: Performance Alignment Proposal Framework

"One idea I'd throw out: would you be open to tying a portion of vesting acceleration to a specific outcome — something like hitting [X ARR milestone or retention target]? Happy to discuss what makes sense. I just like the idea of my upside being tied to what I actually deliver."

📖 Section 5 - Key Terms in Plain English ▼

Term	Definition in Plain English
Strike price	The price you pay to buy your shares. Set when you're hired. Lower is better.
409A valuation	An independent appraisal of what one share is worth today. The IRS requires it.
Cliff	The minimum time before you earn any shares. Usually 1 year. Leave before this = nothing.
Vesting	Earning your shares over time. You don't own them all on day one.
ISO	A tax-friendly option for employees. You may owe no tax until you sell the shares.
NSO	An option taxed as ordinary income when you exercise it. Less favorable than ISO.
RSU	Restricted Stock Units. Direct stock grants that are taxed immediately when they vest.
Fully diluted	Total shares if everyone exercised every option. Used for calculating your real % ownership.

Select Your Tailored Consultation Package

Gain deeper intel to secure the best total comp package for the value you bring.

Custom Multi-Scenario Simulation Engine

Perfect for running a variety of scenarios to plan your best path to getting your best equity outcome. Recommended 1x/year for most up-to-date info.

Full View Clearance: Instantly unmasks high-scale target valuation matrix projections up to $1B+.
Advanced Dilution Modeler: Play with custom dilution percentage inputs based on our institutional recommended defaults.
Custom Target Modeling: Run customized milestones to match exact offers.

Choose License Volume Level

Highly Recommended for Offers

The Equity Negotiation Playbook

Engineered for high-performers seeking maximum financial clarity. Dive deep into structural rules, tax setups, and corporate transparency frameworks before you commit.

Interactive Diagnostic Suite: Test vesting frameworks, performance milestones, early purchase scenarios, and out-of-pocket pricing triggers.
Full View Valuations: Instantly unmask all valuation scenarios. Run infinite scenarios for grants, vesting, and dilution.
QSBS Tax Strategy Deep Drilldowns: Step-by-step instructions on keeping up to $10M tax-free using verified external deep-dives from Carta.

Complete Premium Framework Package: $29.99

Access Code

👑 Elite Tier Access

Is my offer truly fair? Could I increase my package further?

Book a 1-on-1 private consultation with an equity negotiation expert who will personally analyze your assigned role, current offer metrics, company stage, and similar role baselines. This personalized blueprint strategy has helped our typical client see an increase in total comp package of $10,000 - $150,000+.

Payment will be collected after official booking.

★★★★★

"The information I got from my 1-1 with Jared helped me to significantly increase my offer and make it a no brainer for me to accept."

Client for SVP of Professional Services Role

★★★★★

"This was the best money I ever spent. Used this info and a 1-1 meeting to increase my base salary $20k, bonus +$40k, and equity package +$100k. Paid for itself instantly."

Client for VP of Implementation Role

★★★★★

"In hindsight, the Equity Negotiation Playbook made and saved me over $100k. I am so glad I bought this up front, as it helped me navigate AMT and reduce my tax bill when my company was acquired by 20%."

Software Engineer

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Demystify your startup options.

Your Calculated Equity Potential

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