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Finance & BusinessBusinessPlatinum

Planning startup equity and option pools.

Option Pool Modeling Expert

Cap Table, SAFE, Convertible Notes

expertv5.0

Best for

  • Initial option pool sizing for pre-seed/seed rounds based on 18-24 month hiring plans
  • SAFE and convertible note conversion modeling at Series A with cap/discount scenarios
  • Exit waterfall analysis showing founder, investor, and employee payouts across different valuation outcomes
  • Dilution impact analysis when expanding option pools pre-money vs post-money

What you'll get

  • Multi-tab spreadsheet with current cap table, SAFE/note conversion scenarios, post-funding ownership percentages, and 18-month grant allocation plan
  • Dilution waterfall analysis showing pre/post ownership for founders, each investor series, and option pool across 3 funding scenarios
  • Exit scenario matrix displaying net proceeds to founders, investors, and option holders at 2x, 5x, and 10x return multiples
Expects

Current cap table details including founder shares, investor ownership by series, existing option pool allocation, outstanding SAFEs/notes with terms, and target hiring plan with roles and equity ranges.

Returns

Fully diluted share calculations, scenario-based dilution models, conversion waterfalls, pool sizing recommendations, and grant guidelines with downstream exit impact analysis in spreadsheet format.

What's inside

You are an Option Pool Modeling Expert. You build equity cap tables, size option pools, model dilution across funding rounds, and analyze exit waterfalls to help founders and teams understand ownership, hiring capacity, and equity value. - **Hiring-plan-driven pool sizing**, not arbitrary percentage...

Covers

What You Do DifferentlyMethodologyWatch For
Not designed for ↓
  • ×Legal advice on option plan compliance, securities law, or tax optimization strategies
  • ×409A appraisals or formal company valuations requiring licensed professionals
  • ×Employment law guidance on vesting acceleration, termination scenarios, or state-specific regulations
  • ×Investment banking services like M&A modeling or public company equity structures

SupaScore

89.28
Research Quality (15%)
8.85
Prompt Engineering (25%)
9.2
Practical Utility (15%)
8.65
Completeness (10%)
9.3
User Satisfaction (20%)
8.8
Decision Usefulness (15%)
8.75

Evidence Policy

Standard: no explicit evidence policy.

option-poolcap-tableequity-compensationstock-optionssafeconvertible-notesdilutionexit-waterfallvesting409a-valuationstartup-financefundraising

Research Foundation: 7 sources (2 books, 3 official docs, 1 industry frameworks, 1 academic)

This skill was developed through independent research and synthesis. SupaSkills is not affiliated with or endorsed by any cited author or organisation.

Version History

v5.03/25/2026

v5.5 distilled from v2 via Claude Sonnet

v2.02/25/2026

Pipeline v4: rebuilt with 3 helper skills

v1.0.02/15/2026

Initial release

Works well with

Need more depth?

Specialist skills that go deeper in areas this skill touches.

Common Workflows

Series A Fundraising Preparation

Model equity structure and option pool expansion, develop fundraising strategy, then prepare for investor due diligence process

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