What are stakeholders?

Stakeholders are the people and entities who own or may own a piece of your company—founders, employees, contractors, advisors, investors, and even your law firm in some cases. Mantle uses stakeholder records as the backbone of your cap table: every share, option, SAFE, or note is always tied to a stakeholder.

Keeping this list clean and complete is one of the simplest ways to keep your cap table accurate and investor‑ready.

Unlimited stakeholders

All Mantle plans (including our free plan) include unlimited stakeholders, so you don't need to think twice about adding everyone who touches your equity—this is encouraged, not something to ration.

Best practices for founders

• Add stakeholders as early as possible, even before issuing their first security, so your offers and approvals always tie back to a real record.

• Standardize naming and stakeholder types across the company to make reporting and investor updates cleaner.

• Treat Mantle as your source of truth: when someone joins, leaves, or changes roles, update their stakeholder record alongside HR and payroll systems.

Stakeholder views in Mantle

All stakeholders will have access to view their own profile and holdings. They will not be able to see any other company information.

Creating a new stakeholder

When you’re about to issue equity, record a SAFE, or invite someone into the portal, you’ll often start by creating a stakeholder record.

Single upload

1. Open the Stakeholders section

   • From the left-hand navigation, go to the Stakeholders tab.

   • You'll see a table of existing stakeholders and basic details (name, email, relationship).

2. Add a new stakeholder

   • Click Add Stakeholder.

   • Choose whether you are adding an individual (e.g. an employee) or an institution (e.g. a fund).

3. Enter stakeholder details

   • It's best to add at least:

     • Name

     • Email address

     • Stakeholder relationship

4. Save the stakeholder

   • Review the information for typos.

   • Click Create.

   • The new stakeholder now appears in your stakeholders list and can be selected when issuing securities.

Bulk upload

If you're looking to upload multiple stakeholders at once, you can use Mantle's bulk upload feature.

1. Open the Stakeholders section

• From the left-hand navigation, go to the Stakeholders tab.

• You'll see a table of existing stakeholders and basic details (name, email, relationship).

2. Upload a Stakeholders CSV

• Click Upload Stakeholders CSV.

• You can upload a CSV that includes a list of all stakeholders. This should include columns for name, email address, and stakeholder relationship.

Editing and maintaining stakeholders

Over time, people change roles, leave the company, or update contact details. Mantle lets you keep their stakeholder record accurate without breaking historical data.

For companies using Rippling as their HRIS, you can use our integration to automatically sync employee data.

Updating a stakeholder's details

1. Open the Stakeholders section

• From the left-hand navigation, go to the Stakeholders tab.

• You'll see a table of existing stakeholders and basic details (name, email, relationship).

2. Select the stakeholder to update

   • Click on the stakeholder you wish to update.

   • Click the Actions button and select Edit.

3. Update details

• Update any details you wish to change.

4. Review and save

• Review then click Done to save.

Terminating a stakeholder

When a stakeholder leaves the company:

1. Open the Stakeholders section

• From the left-hand navigation, go to the Stakeholders tab.

• You'll see a table of existing stakeholders and basic details (name, email, relationship).

2. Select the terminated stakeholder

   • You can click on the stakeholder you'd like to update.

   • Click the Actions button and select Terminate.

3. Record termination details

• Add termination details, including termination date, termination reason, and new stakeholder relationship.

4. Review and save

• Review then click Done to save.

Holdings Expiry

Default exercise and repurchase periods are set per Equity Plan, where applicable. All relevant securities are set for termination by default. Securities can be exempted from termination by unchecking the row.

Avoiding duplicates

A few simple habits dramatically reduce cap table headaches:

• Search before creating: Before adding a new stakeholder, search the list to see if they already exist under a slightly different name or email.

• Use consistent naming for entities: For funds and companies, pick a canonical name ("Acme Ventures Fund I, L.P.") and stick to it.

• Be careful with personal vs. work emails: Decide which you use for long-term access (often personal for individuals) and use that consistently across grants and invites.

If you discover duplicates, reach out to Mantle Support and we can help you merge or clean up records safely.

Inviting stakeholders to Mantle

All stakeholders have the ability to view their own holdings in Mantle. They will not have the ability to view the company's cap table, unless they have been added as admin users.

When to invite a stakeholder

Typical moments to invite a stakeholder:

• A new employee accepts a job offer and is ready to sign their option grant in Mantle.

• An advisor or contractor needs to sign an equity agreement.

• An investor needs read-only visibility into their holdings.

How to invite a stakeholder

Once a stakeholder is added to Mantle, they will be able to immediately log into their Mantle account using the same email associated with their stakeholder record.

Please note that Mantle does not send automated invitation emails to stakeholders when added to the platform (except for administrators).

You can find a sample invitation email below:

Hi [Company] team,

We’re excited to announce a transition to a new equity management platform, Mantle (withmantle.com), for managing and tracking your company ownership.

Mantle is a leading equity management platform trusted by companies to ensure accurate and secure ownership information. This transition marks a significant step towards providing a more user-friendly and efficient experience for all our employees, investors, and other stakeholders.

What to Expect: Beginning [today], you’ll be able to access your Mantle account at: https://equity.withmantle.com/login

Log in using [your personal email] to:
- View your grants, documentation, and vesting schedules
- Access real-time equity information whenever you need it

Need help? We’re here to make this transition as smooth as possible. If you have any questions, reach out to [Mantle admin contact email].

Thanks,
[Company contact]