2026 Founder Ownership Report

Carta

Peter Walker, Kevin Dowd

Research

14 Pages

Carta’s first-of-its-kind data report offers a comprehensive guide gives a look at how startups divide their equity among co-founders and other key shareholders.

Key Takeaways

Equity Trends: By the time a company raises a seed round, the median founding team retains about 56% of their fully diluted equity, based on Carta data on rounds raised from 2021 through 2025. By the time it raises a Series A, median founder ownership declines to 36%.
More Solo Founders: About 36% of startups founded on Carta in 2025 were led by solo founders, a jump from 31% in 2024. Over the past 10 years, the proportion of new startups with solo founders has doubled.
Employee & Founder Equity: At Series C, the median employee equity pool (16.8%) outstrips median founder ownership (16.1%).
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