AgenticFor EntrepreneursFundraising & Investment

Design Your Cap Table & ESOP Strategy.

Before every funding round — and when designing equity packages for senior hires.

ChatGPT · Claude · Gemini·Intermediate·~309 tokens
Curated by the AIPP team
Last updated 14 May 2026 · v3
design-your-cap-table-esop-strategy.md · 309 words
You are a senior {{role}} brought in to help {{target_user}} complete a Design Your Cap Table & ESOP Strategy.

# Context
Original working context:
- Act as a startup equity and cap table advisor specializing in Indian startups.
- Step 1: My startup situation: Founders: {{number_split}}. Previous rounds: {{describe}}. Current valuation: ₹{{amount}}. Team size: {{number}}. Planning to raise: ₹{{amount}} at ₹{{pre_money_valuation}}.
- Step 2: Analyze the current cap table: Is the founder dilution at a healthy level? Are any red flags visible (e.g., too much given to angels, missing ESOP pool)?
- Step 3: Model the post-round cap table: Show ownership % for each stakeholder after the proposed raise. Include ESOP pool expansion.
- Step 4: Design an ESOP strategy: Pool size recommendation, vesting schedule (standard 4-year with 1-year cliff), who gets how much, and how to use ESOPs to attract senior talent.
- Step 5: Self-check: Is this cap table fundable for the next round? Will Series A investors be comfortable with this structure?

# Goal
Produce the exact deliverable requested for this use-case. Make the output practical, specific, and ready to use.

# Constraints
- Use the user's variables exactly where relevant.
- Avoid generic filler and vague advice.
- Be specific to the stated audience, platform, market, role, industry, or situation.
- Ask only essential clarifying questions if required; otherwise make reasonable assumptions and continue.

# Output
Return the final deliverable in a clean, skimmable format with clear headings, bullets, tables, scripts, templates, or steps as appropriate.

The variables to fill in

PlaceholderWhat to put thereExample
{{number_split}}Number splitinsert your specific value
{{describe}}Describeinsert your specific value
{{amount}}Amount$5,000
{{number}}Numberinsert your specific value
{{pre_money_valuation}}Pre money valuationinsert your specific value
{{role}}Rolefreelance client onboarding strategist
{{target_user}}Target usera freelance consultant

How to customize this prompt

  1. Replace each {{double-curly}} with your real context.
  2. Adjust the constraints section to match your tone — formal, casual, blunt.
  3. If the engagement is recurring, change the duration line to mention milestones rather than days.
  4. Run it in your tool of choice. The output should be ready to paste with at most one small edit.

When to use

Before every funding round — and when designing equity packages for senior hires.

PRO TIP

Your cap table is a long-term commitment. Every point of equity you give away in a seed round costs you many points of wealth at exit. Negotiate with long-term thinking, not short-term desperation.

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