Preparing to use Carta — understanding your equity on it

Carta is probably where you see your equity, not where you independently sell it. Knowing what it does — and doesn't — do puts you in control when a real decision comes.

Written & maintained by the PrivateTechShares team · Published November 2026 · Reviewed November 2026

Part of our guide to what every holder should know about equity.

Carta is, first and foremost, the equity-management platform many companies use to run their cap table — issuing grants, tracking vesting, holding 409A valuations and showing employees their own holdings. If your company is on Carta, it's where you log in to see what you have. We're not affiliated with Carta.

What you can — and can't — do on it

Carta reflects what your company sets up. You can view your grants, vesting schedule and exercise windows, and (where the company enables it) exercise options through it. What you generally can't do is independently sell your shares on Carta whenever you like — any liquidity, such as a tender or secondary programme, is company-driven, runs on the company's timetable, and is subject to the same transfer rules and approvals as any private sale.

What to check in your account

• Grant type — ISO, NSO or RSU, and the key dates.
• Vesting — what's vested now and the schedule ahead.
• Strike price and 409A / fair market value — the inputs that drive your exercise cost and tax.
• Exercise windows — especially any post-termination deadline (often ~90 days).
• Your own records — keep copies of grant documents and exercise history; don't rely on portal access after you leave.

If your company runs a liquidity event on Carta

Companies sometimes use Carta to administer a tender offer or secondary programme. If yours does, the price, who can sell and how much are set by the company and its investors — not by you. The preparation is the same as for any sale: know what you hold, model the tax, and understand the discount and terms before you opt in.

Further reading

General, independent references on how private-company shares and options work. We're not affiliated with any of them.

• Carta — cap tables, secondaries and valuation explainers
• Cooley GO — startup legal explainers, including rights of first refusal
• Forge Global and EquityZen — secondary marketplaces (larger, later-stage deals)
• Ledgy and Index Ventures OptionPlan — European equity & ESOP references

General information only — not financial, tax or legal advice. Every situation is different; check your own share and option agreements and take professional advice before selling. PrivateTechShares is an education and tools service: it is not a broker or marketplace, does not introduce buyers and sellers, does not hold funds, and does not execute or advise on transactions.