What is the formula for YC Post-Money SAFE dilution?

Investor Ownership % = (Investment Amount / Post-Money Valuation Cap) × 100%. For example, raising $500,000 on a $10,000,000 Post-Money Cap grants the investor exactly 5.0% ownership upon conversion.

Who gets diluted when issuing a Post-Money SAFE?

With a Post-Money SAFE, only existing pre-round shareholders (the founders and existing option pool) are diluted. Previously issued post-money SAFEs are protected from diluting each other until a priced round occurs.

What is the 'Option Pool Shuffle'?

Venture capitalists typically require an unallocated option pool (usually 10-15%) to be created or expanded before their investment. In a pre-money option pool expansion, 100% of this dilution falls entirely on the founders rather than the new investors.

What happens when stacking multiple SAFEs with different caps?

Each SAFE locks in its own ownership percentage based on its respective valuation cap. Stacking multiple SAFEs can lead to rapid dilution for founders. For example, $250k @ $5M (5%) plus $500k @ $10M (5%) equals 10% total SAFE dilution.

Is my startup's capitalization data kept private?

Yes. This simulator runs 100% client-side in your web browser. No company names, share counts, or financial figures are sent over the network or stored on any server.

How do I export this cap table for legal term sheets?

Click 'Copy Cap Table Markdown' to copy a formatted table ready to paste into Notion, Google Docs, or investor update emails.

Startup Cap Table & SAFE Dilution Simulator Online

Load Cap Table Scenario Preset

Initial Pre-Round Equity (%)

Founder 1 Ownership (%)

Founder 2 Ownership (%)

Pre-Existing Option Pool (%)

Post-Money SAFE Notes

SAFE 1 Investment ($)

SAFE 1 Post-Money Valuation Cap ($)

SAFE 2 Investment ($) [Optional]

SAFE 2 Post-Money Valuation Cap ($)

Total Founder Combined Equity (Post-Round)

85.5%

Diluted by -4.5% total across all founders

42.75%

Founder 1 Post %

42.75%

Founder 2 Post %

5.0%

SAFE Investors %

Shareholder	Pre-Round %	Post-Round %	Dilution Delta

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Startup Cap Table & SAFE Dilution Simulator free to use?

Yes, Startup Cap Table & SAFE Dilution Simulator is completely free with no signup or registration required. All processing happens directly in your browser.

Is my data safe?

Absolutely. Your data never leaves your device. Everything runs locally in your browser — no uploads, no servers, no tracking.

Do I need to install anything?

No installation needed. Startup Cap Table & SAFE Dilution Simulator works entirely in your web browser on both desktop and mobile devices.

How do I use

Simply enter or paste your input in the tool above, and the result will be generated instantly. No configuration required.

Frequently Asked Questions

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