Stak vs. Carta
Sponsor-side deal management vs. cap table and fund administration. Compare the approaches for PE operations.
Why Teams Choose Stak
Sponsor Workflow Focus
Stak is built for the deal sponsor and intermediary — the firms structuring SPVs, managing investors, and tracking commissions. Not the fund itself.
Multi-Tier Commission Tracking
Native retrocession tracking across introducing partners and sub-partners. Entry fee and carry commissions auto-calculated per deal.
SPV Cost Allocation
Pro-rata cost allocation across investors per SPV, with all-in PPS calculations that account for fees, carry, and setup costs.
Document Generation
Confirmation letters, annual reports, and investor communications generated from live deal data. Branded and auto-calculated.
Carta
Cap table management, fund administration, equity management, and 409A valuations — a mature platform for fund-level operations.
Stak
Focused on the intermediary/sponsor workflow, not the fund itself. Native multi-tier commission tracking, SPV cost allocation, and deal-by-deal investor management.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Investor Portal
Investor Portal
Real-Time MOIC & IRR
Document Downloads
Investor Notifications
Investor Profile Management
Multi-Currency Portfolio
Deal Management
SPV Structuring (1-tier & 2-tier)
Deal-by-Deal Fee Economics
All-in PPS Calculation
Pro-Rata Cost Allocation
Multi-Tranche Closings
Cap Table Management
409A Valuations
Fund Administration
Document Engine
Confirmation Letter Generation
Annual Report Generation
Capital Call Notices
K-1 Tax Document Distribution
Branded Documents
Commissions & Fees
Entry Fee Commission Tracking
Carry Fee Retrocession
Multi-Tier Partner Commissions
Commission Audit Trail
Reporting
ILPA-Aligned Reporting
Custom Reporting Views
CSV / Excel Export
Security & Compliance
2FA / TOTP
Role-Based Access Control
Full Audit Logging
GDPR & nFADP Compliance
Integration & Data
REST API
Excel/CSV Import
Support & Pricing
Published Pricing
Free Trial
Self-Service Onboarding
When to Choose Stak
Your scenario:
You are a deal sponsor or intermediary structuring SPVs for co-investments, and you need to track multi-tier commissions, allocate costs, and provide investors with a branded portal.
Our recommendation:
Stak is purpose-built for this sponsor-side workflow. Carta excels at fund-level cap table management and administration. If you need both, Stak handles the deal structuring while Carta handles the entity-level cap table.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Stak differ from Carta for PE operations?
Stak focuses on the deal sponsor and intermediary workflow: structuring SPVs, tracking multi-tier commissions, generating investor documents, and managing the investor portal. Carta focuses on cap table management, fund administration, and equity operations. They address different parts of the PE value chain.
Can Stak replace Carta for SPV management?
For the sponsor-side workflow (deal structuring, investor management, fee economics, document generation), yes. For fund-level administration, cap table management, and 409A valuations, Carta remains the specialized tool. Many firms use both platforms for different functions.
Does Stak handle fund administration like Carta?
No. Stak is a deal management platform, not a fund administrator. Stak handles the sponsor's operational workflow — structuring deals, managing investors, computing fees, and generating documents. Fund administration (NAV calculations, tax reporting, regulatory filings) requires a fund admin like Carta.
See Stak in Action
The best way to compare is to try it. Explore the full platform with real (fictitious) data.