Skip to main content

​
Issuing Equity

Issuing equity is how you formally give ownership to shareholders. When you issue shares in Equa, the platform creates a shareholding record, assigns a certificate serial number, and lets you generate a signed PDF certificate. This guide walks you through the process.

​
Prerequisites

  • Active Equa account
  • An organization with at least one security type defined
  • editCapTable permission

​
Issuing Shares

​
Step 1: Navigate to the Cap Table

From your organization sidebar, click Cap Table.

​
Step 2: Start a New Issuance

Click Issue Shares or the + button on the cap table page.

​
Step 3: Fill In the Shareholding Details

Complete the following fields:
  • Shareholder — Select an existing member or add a new one
  • Security type — Choose the share class (e.g., Common Stock, Series A Preferred)
  • Number of shares — Enter the share count. Fractional shares are only accepted if the security type allows them.
  • Issue date — The date the shares are issued
  • Shareholder name — The name as it will appear on the certificate
  • Legend — Select a legend to attach to the certificate

​
Step 4: Review and Issue

Review the details and click Issue. The system will:
  • Create the shareholding record
  • Assign the next sequential serial number
  • Update the cap table totals and ownership percentages

​
Common Tasks

​
Generating a Share Certificate

After shares are issued, you can generate a PDF certificate.
  1. Open the shareholding by clicking on it in the cap table
  2. Click Download Certificate
  3. The certificate is generated as a PDF with:
    • Shareholder name
    • Share count and class
    • Serial number
    • Organization details
    • Legend text
    • Signature(s)

​
Generating a Copy Certificate

  1. Open the shareholding
  2. Click Download Copy
  3. The certificate will include a “COPY” watermark

​
Adding Signatures to a Certificate

Certificates require at least one signature to be legally complete.
  1. Open the shareholding
  2. Go to the Signatures section
  3. Click Add Signature
  4. Select the signatory from your members list
  5. Enter their name and title as they should appear on the certificate
  6. Click Save

​
Transferring Shares

To transfer shares from one holder to another:
  1. Navigate to Cap Table > Transfers
  2. Click New Transfer
  3. Select the source shareholding (the shares being transferred from)
  4. Add one or more recipients with the number of shares each receives
  5. Click Execute Transfer
The total shares transferred must equal the original holding. No shares are created or destroyed during a transfer.

​
Voiding a Shareholding

If a shareholding was issued in error:
  1. Open the shareholding from the cap table
  2. Click Void or Cancel
  3. Confirm the action
Voided certificates display a “VOID” marking when generated as PDFs.

​
Tips

Always add at least one signature before generating certificates. Certificates without signatures may not be legally valid.
Serial numbers are assigned sequentially and cannot be reused. Even if a shareholding is voided, its serial number is permanently reserved.
When transferring shares, the system enforces value conservation — the sum of shares going out must exactly equal the shares coming in. This prevents accidental creation or destruction of shares.

​
Troubleshooting

Cause: The selected security type does not allow fractional shares.Solution: Edit the security type and enable the “Fractional Shares” setting, or choose a security type that already allows fractional ownership.
Cause: No legend was assigned to the shareholding at the time of issuance.Solution: Make sure a legend is selected when issuing shares. Legends must be created in advance under Organization > Legends.
Cause: No signatures have been added to the shareholding.Solution: Open the shareholding, go to the Signatures section, and add at least one signatory before generating the certificate.
Cause: The total shares distributed to recipients does not equal the source shareholding amount.Solution: Adjust the share amounts so they add up exactly to the original holding value.