Contribution-based scoring
Salaries, cash, and contribution answers turn into points. The result is transparent, defensible, and easy to revise.
Equity Calculator: a co-founder equity calculator you can argue with
List every founder, enter salaries and cash investment, answer a structured set of contribution questions, and Nautis converts the answers into points and percentages — a transparent breakdown you can defend.
- InputsSalary + Cash + Contributions
- OutputPoints & %
- CurrencyMulti
app.nautis.io/equity-calculator
What is Equity Calculator?
A co-founder equity calculator turns what each founder contributes into a proposed ownership split. The Nautis Equity Calculator takes each founder's salary, the salary they gave up, the cash they put in and their join date, adds weighted contribution questions, and converts it all into points and percentages. A pie chart and a points breakdown update live, so everyone sees why the split came out that way.
Founders usually split equity in one of two bad ways: 50/50 because talking about it feels awkward, or by gut feel in a pub. Both can work. Both also leave nobody able to explain the numbers two years later, when one founder has gone part-time and the other is working weekends.
The calculator makes the conversation about inputs. The biggest one is Foregone Annual Salary, what you could earn elsewhere minus what you take now. The guide's example: someone leaving a $200k role to take $50k contributes $150k of foregone salary a year. Add Cash Investment and an optional Join Date per founder, plus three milestone dates for the company (Idea Stage Date, MVP Launch Date, First Funding Date) that shape how much time-based credit a late joiner gets.
Then come the contribution questions, each tagged with the points it's worth. Some are Pick one, such as who came up with the original idea. Others are Pick all that apply, such as who has prior startup experience. The right column shows a Calculation Summary, an Equity Pie Chart and a Points System panel that explains each question's weight. Once the split is agreed, it belongs on the Cap Table.
Built for
- Co-founders splitting equity for the first time
- Teams revisiting splits after a pivot
- Advisors helping founders agree on numbers
Capabilities
What you can do with Equity Calculator
Everything ships out of the box. No setup, no plugins, no extra tools.
Multi-currency
Pick your currency and enter the exchange rate to USD (usually pre-filled from a live rate), so points stay fair across regions.
Saved calculations
Save calculations and revisit later as roles or contributions change.
Shared editing
Pick the teammates who can open and edit each calculation.
Use cases
How startups use Equity Calculator
Two founders, one of whom quit a senior job
Enter both salaries honestly. The founder who left a big salary will score high on Foregone Annual Salary, and that's the point: it's real money given up. If the other founder put in $40,000 of savings, Cash Investment balances some of it. Read the result, then talk.
A third founder joining after the MVP
Set MVP Launch Date and give the new founder a Join Date after it. The points system reduces their share of time-based contributions, which is usually fairer than inventing a discount on the spot.
Running what-ifs before anyone signs
Duplicate the thinking, not the spreadsheet: change one input at a time and watch the pie chart move. Try two or three versions with different join dates and salaries. If one checkbox swings the split by ten points, that question deserves a longer conversation.
Handing the reasoning to a lawyer
Click Export to download a file with names, inputs, points, percentages and the questions answered. Your lawyer still drafts the paperwork, but now they can see how the numbers were reached.
Quick start
From zero to using Equity Calculator
- 1
Create a calculation
Name it (e.g., Founding Team Split 2026), pick currency, set shared access.
- 2
Add each founder
Salaries, cash invested, and contribution answers go in once.
- 3
Review the points + %
Nautis converts to points and percentages — every input drives the output transparently.
- 4
Export and discuss
Share the breakdown with co-founders and revisit anytime.
Co-founder equity calculator vs an equal split vs a gut-feel split
None of these is wrong in every case. An equal split is defensible for founders who start together and contribute evenly. The calculator earns its place when contributions aren't even.
| Question | Equal split | Gut-feel split | Nautis Equity Calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can you explain the numbers later? | Yes, they're equal | Rarely | Yes, every point is listed |
| Accounts for salary given up | No | Sometimes | Foregone Annual Salary input |
| Accounts for cash put in | No | Sometimes | Cash Investment input |
| Handles a late joiner | Awkwardly | By negotiation | Join Date against milestone dates |
| Multi-currency teams | Not relevant | Mental maths | Any currency, converted to USD with an exchange rate |
| Models later dilution | No | No | No, use the cap table |
Plans and limits
- The Equity Calculator is on Voyage and Fleet only. It isn't on Launch. See pricing.
- Creating and editing calculations needs create or update permission and a verified email.
- The 14-day trial with no card starts on the Launch plan, which doesn't include this module.
What Equity Calculator doesn't do
- It's for the initial founder split. It doesn't model investor rounds, option pools or dilution. The Cap Table does that.
- There's a cap on founders per calculation. Run two calculations or merge similar contributors if you hit it.
- If your currency isn't USD, you enter the exchange rate. It's usually pre-filled from a live rate, but check it.
- Anyone under Shared Access can edit. There's no view-only share inside Nautis, so send the export to people who should only read it.
- It proposes a split and doesn't create legal documents, vesting or share issuance. A lawyer still does that.
Equity Calculator questions
How does a co-founder equity calculator decide who gets more?+
It weighs what each founder gives up and contributes. In Nautis that's foregone salary, cash invested, join timing and weighted contribution questions, turned into points and then percentages. The Points System panel shows how points map to equity and which contributions weigh most.
Should co-founders just split equity 50/50?+
If you started together, contribute about the same, and are taking similar risks, an equal split is simple and fine. Run the calculator anyway. If it comes out close to even, you've lost nothing; if it doesn't, you've found the conversation you were avoiding.
What if the result feels wrong?+
Look for a missed checkbox or an unrealistic salary first, since those are the usual causes. If the inputs are right and it still feels wrong, the model has done its job: it's shown you a disagreement to talk through. It's a baseline, not a ruling.
Can I change who has access to a calculation?+
Edit the calculation and reopen the access selector. People in Shared Access see it in their list and can edit it.
Can I try a cap table simulation without an account?+
Yes. The free cap table simulator shows how founders, employees, SAFEs and priced rounds dilute over time. It's the next question after the founder split.
Does this model funding rounds and dilution?+
No. The Equity Calculator is for the initial split among co-founders based on contribution. It doesn't model investor rounds, option pools, or dilution waterfalls — use Cap Table for that.
What does 'foregone salary' mean?+
The market salary you could be paid somewhere else but are giving up to work on this startup. Someone leaving a $200k role to take $50k contributes $150k of foregone salary per year — real economic skin in the game.
Can I add more than the founders limit allows?+
No. Nautis caps the number of founders per calculation. Run two calculations or merge similar contributors.
What if a founder joins later?+
Add them with a Join Date after the relevant milestone (Idea Stage, MVP, or Funding). The points system reduces their share of time-based contributions accordingly.
Can I share the result with my lawyer?+
Use Export to generate a downloadable file with the full breakdown — names, inputs, points, percentages, and the questions answered.
Will Nautis send the file to investors automatically?+
No. Sharing is manual. Either invite teammates via Shared Access or download and email the export.
Is the model opinionated?+
Each contribution question carries a weight, and the Points System panel shows how points map to equity. It's meant to start a conversation, so talk through edge cases as a team.
Which plans include the Equity Calculator?+
Voyage and Fleet. It isn't on the Launch plan.
Can I share without giving edit rights?+
No. People you add under Shared Access see the calculation in their list and can edit it. To share a read-only copy, use Export and send the file.
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