Unpacking Carta’s M&A Playbook: A Strategic Blueprint for Success

Picture this: a nimble London-based startup, Capdesk, was rewriting the rules of equity management across Europe. Over 3,500 of Europe’s fastest-growing startups, including unicorns like Checkout.com and Wagestream, relied on its platform to navigate complex compliance landscapes and scale with precision. In just a few short years, Capdesk became the go-to platform for managing over £90 billion in assets—an extraordinary feat in a fragmented market.

But the story didn’t end there. Against the backdrop of a challenging private equity and venture capital environment—where shrinking valuations and cautious funding rounds had become the norm—it achieved the remarkable. The company doubled its revenue in just 12 months, stood strong in negotiations for a Series B raise, and became a shining example of resilience. All of this caught the eye of a global powerhouse: Silicon Valley’s tech equity unicorn, Carta.

Source: Carta

Then came the turning point: Carta acquired Capdesk in a deal that cemented a powerful cross-Atlantic alliance. Both companies shared an ambitious vision to solve the illiquidity of private markets and