# Cap Table

*Startups & Venture Capital — Finicade finance glossary*

A cap table records who owns what — shares, options, warrants, convertibles — and what each would receive in an exit. It's the single most consequential document in a startup and the one most often maintained badly, in a spreadsheet, until diligence exposes the errors. A messy cap table with too many small holders or unclear promises is itself a reason investors walk away.

**Also known as:** capitalization table, captable, ownership table

**Related terms:** [Dilution](https://finicade.com/glossary/dilution), [Option Pool](https://finicade.com/glossary/option-pool), [Pre-Money vs Post-Money Valuation](https://finicade.com/glossary/pre-money-vs-post-money-valuation), [Liquidation Preference](https://finicade.com/glossary/liquidation-preference), [Founder Vesting](https://finicade.com/glossary/founder-vesting)

Source: https://finicade.com/glossary/cap-table