The definitive study on founder ownership in VC-backed companies

Data from 40,000+ US startups and over 100,000 founders.

A few highlights:

Solo founders are stepping up: The percentage of all startups incorporated on Carta that are led by a solo founder has more than doubled over the past decade, reaching 35% in 2024.

But solo founders are less likely to raise VC funding: Compared to larger founding teams, solo founders are less successful in raising venture capital. While solo founders comprised 35% of all companies incorporated in 2024, they accounted for just 17% of all companies launched in 2024 that also closed a VC round before the end of the year.

Equal equity splits are becoming more common: In 2024, 45.9% of two-person founder teams divided up their equity equally, compared to 31.5% back in 2015.

Founder ownership declines most at early stages: After raising a seed round, the median founding team collectively owns 56.2% of their startup’s equity. At Series A, that figure falls to 36.1%, and at Series B, it’s 23%.

Author

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