Owning equity in your company can yield life-changing results.

At Carta, we’ve helped empower over 1.7 million equity owners. Learn everything you need to know—from our trusted experts.

Equity basics

Author: The Carta Team
Date: December 2025
featured article
Equity in business: A founder's perspective
Learn the fundamentals of company equity, including the different types you will issue and how to manage ownership as you build your business.
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Employee Resource Center
January 2025
Startup equity calculator
Learn how to value your startup equity and download our startup equity calculator to see what your equity could be worth. Calculate your startup equity value today.
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Equity
December 2025
Vesting: A guide to equity schedules
Learn everything you need to know about vesting, including how vesting schedules work and how to structure them for your team.
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Equity Education
July 2025
Strike price
Wondering what determines strike prices and how much your stock options could be worth? Learn about what a strike price is and how options can gain value over time.
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Types of equity

What are stock options and how do they work?

Incentive Stock Options (ISOs)

Non-Qualified Stock Options (NSOs)

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)

Equity 101 video course

VIDEO COURSE
What is equity?
The short answer: Equity is partial ownership in a company. Walk through why owning equity in a private company can have seriously life-changing results.
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VIDEO COURSE
How vesting works
Vesting usually means earning the right to actually own your equity. And that’s often a matter of time.
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VIDEO COURSE
How to sell your shares
What are the different ways you can sell your shares in a private company, and what do you need to consider before you make that decision?
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Exercising and taxes

[What does it mean to exercise stock options?\
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[How stock options are taxed\
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[What is the alternative minimum tax (AMT)?\
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