Decisions a C-Suite would make for you
Vendor comparisons that are honest about where each tool falls short, plus a plan for doing the work yourself. Where we quote a benchmark, we show its source.
53 guides of 1,000
Carta vs Pulley vs AngelList: Cap Table Management & 409A Valuations
Compare Carta, Pulley, and AngelList for startup cap table management: 409A valuations, shareholder liquidity, option pool modeling, and software fees.
Carta or Pulley: Picking a Cap Table Tool by Startup Stage
A stage-by-stage guide to choosing Carta or Pulley for a startup cap table, option pool sizing, and 409A valuations as you grow.
Cap Table Software for Custom Software Shops: Pulley vs Carta
How a custom software and product engineering shop should weigh Pulley against Carta for equity grants, partner buy-ins, and dilution.
Equity Tools for AI Agencies: Pulley vs Carta Compared
How an AI and workflow automation agency should compare Pulley and Carta for equity grants, dilution, and retaining scarce AI engineering talent.
IT Consulting Firms: Choosing Between Pulley and Carta
How an IT consulting or managed service provider should weigh Pulley against Carta for partner equity, client-relationship retention, and dilution.
Cap Table Tools for Cloud Consultancies: Do You Need One Yet?
Most solo cloud and DevOps consultancies don't need Pulley or Carta yet. Here's the exact moment that changes and how to choose once it does.
Equity Retention Tools for MSSPs: Pulley vs Carta
How a managed security service provider should weigh Pulley against Carta for SOC analyst retention, acquisition readiness, and dilution.
Cap Table Software for Payments Startups: Pulley vs Carta
How a fintech or embedded finance platform should compare Pulley and Carta given licensing complexity, investor scrutiny, and dilution stacking.
Equity or Profit Share? A Consulting Firm's Cap Table Decision
A decision guide for consulting firms weighing Pulley against Carta, partner equity against profit sharing, and when a cap table tool earns its keep.
Why Most CPA Firms Can't Just Adopt Startup Equity Tools
CPA ownership rules limit who can hold equity in an accounting firm. Here's how that affects choosing Pulley versus Carta, and what actually applies.
Why Law Firms Mostly Can't Use Pulley or Carta at All
Most states bar non-lawyer ownership of law firms, which limits what Pulley or Carta can actually do for a traditional legal practice.
Equity for Media Buyers: Pulley vs Carta for Performance Agencies
A worked example of granting equity to a top media buyer at a performance marketing agency, and how Pulley and Carta differ once you do.
Cap Tables for Advisory Firms Whose Own People Hold Client Equity
Fractional executive advisory firms juggle two cap tables: their own, and every small equity stake their advisors hold across client companies.
Should Your Top Biller Get Equity or a Bigger Commission?
Staffing agencies mostly retain top billers with commission, not equity. Here's when that changes and how Pulley compares to Carta once it does.
ESOP or Stock Options? Equity Tools for Engineering Firms
Many engineering consulting firms use an ESOP for succession, not startup-style stock options. Here's how that changes Pulley versus Carta.
The Slow Buy-In: How Architecture Firms Actually Transfer Equity
Architecture firm equity usually moves through a multi-year principal buy-in, not startup-style grants. Here's what that means for Pulley and Carta.
Succession Equity at an RIA: Where Pulley and Carta Fit
RIA succession runs through junior-advisor equity buy-ins and Form ADV disclosure. Here's what that means for choosing Pulley versus Carta.
Equity, IP, and Conflicts of Interest at a Biotech Consultancy
Biotech and life sciences consultancies face conflict-of-interest and IP ownership questions before they ever get to picking Pulley or Carta.
Equity Questions Every Growing Tax Advisory Firm Asks
Common equity questions from corporate and multi-state tax advisory firms, and how the answers point toward Pulley, Carta, or neither.
When a Crisis Comms Lead Almost Walked: An Equity Case
A scenario walkthrough for equity-comparing Pulley and Carta after a senior crisis communications lead at a PR agency nearly left for a rival.
Should an HR Consultancy Practice What It Preaches on Equity?
HR and compensation consultancies advise clients on equity design. Here's how Pulley and Carta compare for getting the firm's own house in order.
Who Owns the Dashboard? Equity Tools for Analytics Consultancies
A criteria-by-criteria comparison of Pulley and Carta for data analytics consultancies weighing equity for engineers and a reusable product line.
Promoting Your First Partner? Here's the Equity Runbook
A step-by-step runbook for granting equity when a boutique strategy or M&A advisory firm promotes its first partner, and where Pulley and Carta fit.
Equity Pitfalls Every Growing DTC Brand Should Check For
A pitfall checklist for direct-to-consumer brands weighing equity for key hires, aggregator interest, and Pulley versus Carta for the cap table.
A Founder's Buyout: Loan, Equity, or Both?
A worked example of a wholesale distributor's founder financing a key employee's ownership buy-in with a loan, equity, or a blend of both.
Royalty or Equity? Structuring a Designer Partnership
Apparel brands weighing a royalty deal against real equity for a designer or co-founder partnership, and where Pulley and Carta fit either choice.
Broker Book or Cap Table? Equity for Marketplace Platforms
B2B marketplace and trading platforms often run standard startup equity alongside broker relationships. Here's how Pulley and Carta compare.
Pulley vs. Carta for Retail Brands That Promise Store Equity
Retail brands often promise a store or regional manager a stake and never put it on paper. Compare Pulley and Carta for multi-channel retail equity records.
Pulley vs. Carta for Coaching Businesses Granting Equity
A coaching or cohort education business often grants equity before it has ever been valued. See how Pulley and Carta handle the valuation step differently.
Pulley vs. Carta When a Creator Splits Ownership
A creator offering half the business in a chat message needs a real document instead. Compare Pulley and Carta for digital media and community equity.
Pulley vs. Carta for Event Groups With Separate Show Entities
Conference operators often hold each show in its own entity with informal terms. See how Pulley and Carta handle multi-entity B2B media cap tables.
Pulley vs. Carta for Training Firms That Grant Contributor Equity
Training companies issue equity to curriculum experts, then lose track of who is still involved. See how Pulley and Carta handle termination and forfeiture.
Pulley vs. Carta: Production Points Are Not Company Equity
Studios promise backend points on a production and real company equity as if they are one thing. Compare how Pulley and Carta relate to each promise.
Pulley vs. Carta for Contractors Weighing an Equity Transfer
A surety underwrites the people behind a contracting business as much as its balance sheet. See what to check before transferring shares in Pulley or Carta.
Pulley vs. Carta: Was That a Loan or an Equity Stake?
An owner-operator brings in a partner to fund trucks, and the arrangement gets documented two different ways. See how to settle it before comparing tools.
Pulley vs. Carta for Buying In a Plant Manager Who Can't Pay Cash
A straight stock grant to a plant manager often creates a tax bill they never expected. See how to pick an instrument they can actually afford.
Pulley vs. Carta When a Building Supplier Changes Hands
A supplier splits shares between siblings without a buy-sell agreement in place. See how Pulley and Carta handle transfer restrictions differently.
Pulley vs. Carta for Retaining a Field Technician With Equity
A minority stake in a closely held repair shop entitles a technician to more than owners expect. See how Pulley and Carta fit real versus phantom grants.
Pulley vs. Carta When a Hazmat Carrier Partner Wants Out
A partner in a hazmat carrier wants to exit, but permits and operating authority sit with the entity. See how to plan the exit before comparing tools.
Pulley vs. Carta: Project Investors Are Not Company Shareholders
Tax equity and project ownership are a separate world from company shares. See what Pulley and Carta actually cover for a solar or energy EPC firm.
Pulley vs. Carta and the Two-Entity DSO Ownership Problem
An associate dentist's equity offer often sits in the wrong entity. See how Pulley and Carta handle the practice-versus-management-company split.
Pulley vs. Carta and the Non-Provider Investor Problem
An investor who is not a licensed provider often cannot own a clinic directly. See how the two-entity workaround changes what Pulley and Carta need to track.
Pulley vs. Carta for Tracking Rollover Equity as a Buyer
A selling veterinary owner's rollover stake sits in the parent, not the practice they sold. See what a consolidator needs from Pulley or Carta.
Pulley vs. Carta for Networks With Equity in Every Clinic
Clinic directors get equity in their own location as a retention tool, leaving dozens of small holders across separate entities. See what to check first.
Pulley vs. Carta for Clinicians Growing Into Ownership
Clinicians move from contractor to employee to owner, each step documented differently. See how to build one record before comparing Pulley and Carta.
Pulley vs. Carta: A Compensation Letter Is Not a Stock Document
A top producer's equity promise often lives in a comp letter instead of a real stock document. See what needs to happen before choosing Pulley or Carta.
Pulley vs. Carta for Keeping Property Stakes Off the Firm's Table
Managers who own a piece of a building they manage need that tracked separately from the management company. See how Pulley and Carta fit each record.
Pulley vs. Carta: Can Your Management Team Read Their MIP?
Sponsors design management incentive plans for themselves, not the executives receiving them. See how Pulley and Carta model hurdles, preferences, and rollover.
Pulley vs. Carta: What a Brokerage Cap Table Actually Covers
Brokers often take side positions in deals that never show up on the firm's cap table. See what Pulley and Carta do and do not track for a brokerage.
Pulley vs. Carta: Keeping Fund and Company Ownership Apart
Investors in a lender's fund sometimes assume they own part of the operating company too. See why Carta's fund tools address a gap Pulley does not.
Pulley vs. Carta for Franchisees With One Entity Per Unit
Each franchise unit often has its own investors and its own terms. Here is how to build a rolled-up ownership view before comparing Pulley and Carta.
Pulley vs. Carta: Agency Equity Is Not Book Ownership
Producers are often promised ownership of their book, which the agency also claims as its own asset. See what Pulley and Carta actually record.
Pulley vs. Carta: Check Set-Aside Status Before Granting Equity
An equity grant to the wrong person can affect a small business set-aside determination. See what to verify before recording any change in Pulley or Carta.