Carta, Inc.
Market Data Current As Of: September 12, 2026
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Carta, Inc.
Compare market positioning with top industry peers
Explore Carta
Core profile pages, annual revenue records, and related research hubs for this company.
Company History
Founded 2012 in San Francisco, California, United States
Carta was founded in 2012 by Henry Ward and Manu Kumar under the original name eShares. Henry Ward, an engineer and experienced software executive, was repeatedly struck by an absurd paradox: technology startups were writing code to automate global industries, yet their own corporate ownership was recorded on fragile Excel spreadsheets and physical paper stock certificates stored in cardboard boxes at outside law firms. Whenever a startup raised a financing round or an employee left, lawyers spent dozens of billable hours recalculating ownership percentages, often uncovering catastrophic capitalization table math errors and lost certificates. Partnering with Manu Kumar (founder of K9 Ventures), Ward incorporated eShares in San Francisco to create a secure, cloud-based transfer agent and digital ledger for private company shares. In 2013, eShares issued the first-ever paperless digital stock certificate to be legally recognized. Rebranding to Carta in 2017 to signify its broader mission of mapping the world's private assets, the company launched automated 409A valuations and venture fund administration. Overcoming deep skepticism from legacy law firms, Ward built Carta into a $7.4 billion fintech pillar managing over $3 trillion in private wealth.\n\nIn 2011, Manu Kumar was furious. Every time one of his portfolio startups at K9 Ventures raised a round, a law firm mailed him an elaborate paper stock certificate that he had to lock in a safe deposit box. When a company was acquired, he had to drive to the bank, find the paper, and sign it by hand. He teamed up with software engineer Henry Ward, who was shocked that private company equity was managed like 19th-century railroad bonds. Together, they founded eShares in 2012. Ward spent months convincing Delaware corporate lawyers that electronic stock certificates were legally binding. When top law firms saw that eShares eliminated lost certificates and cleaned up cap tables, they made it their official standard. Rebranding to Carta, that relentless pursuit of digital ownership built Carta into a $7.4B titan managing $3.0 trillion across 40,000+ companies, permanently digitizing the foundation of modern capitalism.
Henry Ward is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carta, Inc. A visionary technologist with deep conviction in the democratizing power of equity ownership, Ward founded Carta to replace paper stock certificates with an electronic ownership standard. Under Ward's transparent, resilient leadership, Carta grew from a tiny cap table utility into a $7.4 billion global financial infrastructure titan past $350 million in ARR, managing over $3.0 trillion in equity across 40,000+ companies. In January 2024, Ward earned widespread industry respect when he made the courageous decision to shut down Carta's secondary trading business to preserve customer trust, reaffirming Carta as the trusted sovereign ledger of the private markets.\n\nWard's courageous, principled leadership and philosophical dedication to economic ownership established Carta as the definitive operating system of private equity. Demonstrating extraordinary moral clarity in January 2024 by shutting down Carta's secondary brokerage within 48 hours to protect client trust, Ward guided Carta past $350M ARR and $3.0 trillion in managed equity, establishing an enduring standard of corporate integrity ahead of an IPO.
Manu Kumar is the co-founder and founding seed investor of Carta (eShares). Having experienced firsthand the nightmare of managing paper stock certificates and messy cap tables across his venture portfolio companies at K9 Ventures, Kumar teamed up with Henry Ward in 2012 to invent electronic equity. At Carta, Kumar served as the foundational seed advisor and board director, guiding the company's early product strategy, fundraising, and governance, helping transform Ward's technical vision into the ubiquitous operating standard of the global venture capital ecosystem.\n\nAt Carta, Kumar's foundational venture capital intellect and seed stewardship were the catalyst that transformed an audacious idea into the standard of Silicon Valley. Leveraging his computer science doctorate from Carnegie Mellon and venture network at K9 Ventures, Kumar helped architect Carta's early legal partnerships, product governance, and investor syndicates, turning paper stock certificates into an extinct historical relic.
Henry Ward and Manu Kumar founded eShares to digitize private stock certificates and cap tables.
Raised Series A led by USV, validating digital transfer agent software among early technology startups.
Rebranded from eShares to Carta and introduced algorithmic 409A valuations, disrupting traditional accounting firms.
Launched Carta Fund Administration, automating back-office accounting, capital calls, and LP reporting for venture funds.
Closed funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Tribe Capital, achieving a $7.4B valuation.
Crossed $300M ARR, managing cap tables for 40,000+ businesses and administering $130B+ in venture fund assets.
Acquired the leading European equity management platform to accelerate international expansion.
Acquired the London-based platform for launching Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) and venture funds.
Since its establishment in 2012, Carta, Inc. expanded from an early-stage venture into a recognized leader in Cap Table Management, Equity Administration, 409A Valuations & Private Market Liquidity SaaS, overcoming key market challenges.
Over its history, Carta, Inc. executed decisive strategic pivots toward scalable monetization and digital distribution, securing its current market leadership.
By continually modernizing operations and embracing workflow automation, Carta, Inc. maintains resilience through changing technological and economic cycles.