Using the cap table
Issue stock, options, SAFEs and notes, attach vesting, track 83(b) forms, and model a round on your company’s cap table in HYVV.
On this page
HYVV tracks real equity — shares or LLC units, options, vesting and grants — and revenue shares for people who shouldn’t hold equity, on one record. The cap table is created when the company is formed or imported, and it updates as you issue and sign grants.
The Cap Table page has three tabs: Ownership (who holds what, vesting progress, 83(b) status and board approvals), Securities (every issuance and funding round) and Structure (the dilution modeler, stock classes and share counts).
Issue equity
On the Cap Table page, open Issue… and pick what you are issuing.
| Pick | What it records |
|---|---|
| Stock | Common or preferred shares from one of your stock classes, for one or more recipients |
| SAFE | A SAFE with its investment amount, valuation cap and discount — pre-money, post-money or MFN |
| Note | A convertible note with its principal, interest rate, maturity date and conversion terms |
| Option | A stock option from your stock plan, with its exercise price and expiration date |
To record a warrant, open SAFE, Note or Option and choose Warrant at the Security type step.
Stock grants, step by step
Stock grants run through six steps:
- Stock class — choose the class the shares come from.
- Recipients — pick one or more members.
- Grant details — quantity, price per share and issue date.
- Vesting — none, the standard schedule, or a custom one (see below).
- Board approval — link an existing resolution, mark approval as pending, or skip it.
- Review — check the grant and send it.
If you ask for signatures, each recipient is sent a signing request for the grant, and the shares become active once everyone has signed. Otherwise the issuance is recorded on the cap table straight away.
Vesting
Choose one of three options when you issue stock:
- No vesting — the shares are fully vested at issue.
- 4-year / 1-year cliff — 25% vests at the first anniversary, then the rest vests monthly.
- Custom — set your own cliff (0 to 24 months) and total vesting period (12 to 60 months).
The Ownership tab shows each holder’s vesting progress, and HYVV emails holders and posts a notification when they reach a vesting milestone — the cliff, each monthly vest and full vesting. If someone leaves, you can repurchase unvested shares, cancel an issuance, or amend it from the Securities tab.
83(b) elections
If you receive restricted stock that vests, an 83(b) election generally has to reach the IRS within 30 days of the grant. It is not right for everyone — check with a tax advisor before you file one.
HYVV drafts the 83(b) election from the grant and tracks the 30-day clock. You sign it and mail it to the IRS. Here is how:
- When you issue vesting stock in a C-corp, tick Request 83(b) election on the vesting step.
- Each recipient is emailed a pre-filled 83(b) form.
- The Ownership tab shows every grant’s 83(b) status and due date.
Model a round
The Dilution modeler is on the Structure tab. Enter the investment amount and pre-money valuation, and HYVV shows the post-money valuation, each holder’s ownership before and after, and how much each is diluted. It calculates a priced round, whichever instrument you pick.
A model is a planning estimate, not an executed change. Nothing on the cap table moves until you issue the securities and they are signed.
Revenue shares on the same record
Revenue shares are not equity, but they belong on the same record. A member can hold shares, a revenue share, or both, and the cap table shows what each holder has been paid alongside what they own. See setting up revenue sharing for the payout side, and the Cap Table product page for how the record fits the rest of HYVV.