Captable: Open-Source Cap Table Management, an Alternative to Carta

Introduction

Captable is the #1 open-source cap table management platform, designed as a powerful and transparent alternative to proprietary solutions like Carta, Pulley, and Angelist. It empowers startups, founders, and investors to manage equity, fundraising, and stakeholder interactions with unparalleled control and security. Built with a modern tech stack including TypeScript, Next.js, and Prisma, Captable aims to democratize financial ecosystems by making cap table management accessible to everyone. Key features include comprehensive cap table tracking, fundraising tools, secure eSign capabilities, and virtual data rooms.

Installation

Getting Captable up and running for development offers flexibility, whether you prefer a Dockerized environment or a local setup.

With Docker

For a streamlined setup, Docker provides a quick way to get all services running.

Install Docker & Docker Compose: Ensure you have Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system.
Fork & Clone: Fork the repository and clone it to your local machine.
Environment Setup: Copy .env.example to .env.
```
cp .env.example .env
```
Start Services: Run docker compose up to start the application, database, and other services.
```
docker compose up
```

Database Setup: Execute commands to prepare your database.

docker compose exec app pnpm db:migrate
docker compose exec app pnpm db:seed

Without Docker

For those who prefer a local setup, you'll need to install dependencies manually.

Fork & Clone: Fork the repository and clone it.

git clone https://github.com/<your-github-name>/captable.git

Environment Setup: Copy .env.example to .env.
```
cp .env.example .env
```
Prerequisites: Install Node.js (with pnpm), PostgreSQL, Mailpit (for email interception), and Minio (for local file storage simulation).
Database Configuration: Create a captable database in PostgreSQL and update DATABASE_URL in your .env file. Configure Minio credentials and buckets as specified in the README.
Install Dependencies: Run pnpm install.
```
pnpm install
```
Database Setup: Execute commands to migrate and seed the database.
```
pnpm db:migrate
pnpm db:seed
```
Start Development Server: Run pnpm dev and pnpm email:dev in separate terminals.
```
pnpm dev
pnpm email:dev
```

For detailed instructions and troubleshooting, please refer to the official Captable README.

Examples

Captable provides a suite of features to manage various aspects of your company's equity and fundraising journey:

Cap Table Management: Track your company's ownership structure, including issued stock, options, and convertible notes, providing a clear overview of equity distribution.
Fundraising: Facilitate fundraising rounds by creating and managing investor commitments, signing standard or custom SAFE agreements, and tracking progress.
Investor Updates: Delight your investors and team members by sending regular, professional updates on your company's milestones and progress.
eSign Documents: Securely sign critical documents such as SAFEs, NDAs, contracts, and offer letters directly within the platform using Captable Sign.
Data Rooms: Create and manage secure virtual data rooms to store and share important legal and financial documents with investors, employees, and other stakeholders.

Why use Captable?

Captable stands out as a compelling choice for several reasons:

Open-Source Advantage: Gain full transparency, control, and auditability over your cap table data, free from vendor lock-in. The open-source nature fosters community contributions and continuous improvement.
Cost-Effective: Avoid the high costs associated with proprietary cap table management platforms, making it an ideal solution for early-stage startups.
Comprehensive Features: From managing complex equity structures to facilitating fundraising and secure document signing, Captable offers a robust set of tools.
Community-Driven: Benefit from an active community of developers and entrepreneurs, ensuring ongoing support and innovation.
Modern Technology: Built with cutting-edge technologies like Next.js, TypeScript, and Prisma, ensuring a scalable, performant, and maintainable platform.

Captable: Open-Source Cap Table Management, an Alternative to Carta

Summary

Repository Information

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