Navigating Your Admin Dashboard
You've completed onboarding and your cap table is now live in Pulley. When you log in, you'll land on your admin dashboard. This is your command center for monitoring equity, managing tasks, and tracking cap table activity across your company.
This article explains what each section of the dashboard shows and what the key metrics mean. If you're ready to start configuring Pulley for specific workflows, see What to Expect as a New Pulley Admin (Article 1.0) for your starting point.
This dashboard is admin-only. Stakeholders (including signatories who aren't designated admins) see a completely different portal focused solely on their personal equity holdings. See Admin access vs. stakeholder access (Article 1.2) for the full breakdown of what each role sees.
Dashboard overview
Your admin dashboard organizes real-time cap table information into six main areas. At the top, company-wide metrics show total capital raised, fully diluted share count, and total stakeholders. Below that, visual breakdowns show your employee equity pools and ownership distribution. On the right side, you'll find educational guides, pending tasks, and a running log of all cap table activity.
The dashboard updates in real time. Issue new options and pool availability decreases immediately. Approve a board resolution and it appears in the activity feed within seconds. You're always looking at current data, not a nightly snapshot.
Company header metrics
Three key metrics sit at the top of your dashboard, giving you an at-a-glance summary of your company's equity position.
| Metric | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Total capital contribution | All money invested in the company through equity sales |
| Fully diluted shares | Maximum possible shares if all convertible securities convert or exercise |
| Stakeholders with securities | Number of individuals and entities currently holding equity |
Total capital contribution covers every dollar that has come into your company through equity: investment rounds, option exercises where someone paid the strike price, and direct stock purchases. It does not include equity granted without cash changing hands, such as founder shares issued for sweat equity or unexercised options.
Fully diluted shares assumes everything that could become a share does (i.e., all options exercised, all convertible notes converted, all SAFEs turned into preferred stock, all warrants used). It represents maximum possible dilution, not just shares outstanding today, and is the share count Pulley uses to calculate ownership percentages on your dashboard.
Stakeholders with securities counts every distinct holder on your cap table. A VC fund counts as one stakeholder regardless of how many limited partners are behind it. Former stakeholders who no longer hold equity, and people who've been invited but haven't received equity yet, are not included.
The download button generates a cap table export useful for board materials, investor updates, or audit requests. When exporting, you can specify an end date and choose whether to include drafts that haven't yet been finalized and merged to your cap table.
Employee equity pools
Below the header metrics, bar charts show the status of each equity incentive plan — how much of each pool has been granted versus how much remains available for future grants.
Companies often maintain multiple equity plans simultaneously (a newer plan created when an older one ran out, separate plans for employees versus advisors, or a plan added during an acquisition).
→ For a detailed explanation of how pool capacity works, see Understanding Equity Plan Capacity (Article 5.0)
Ownership breakdown
The ownership breakdown section shows who owns how much of your company, calculated on a fully diluted basis. The pie chart divides your fully diluted shares into categories, and the table below it lists your largest holders by percentage.
| Category | Who it includes |
|---|---|
| Investors | VCs, angels, and institutional investors holding preferred or common stock |
| Employees | Current employees with vested or unvested equity |
| Former employees | People who left but retained vested shares or options |
| Advisors | Advisory board members or consultants with equity grants |
| Available | Unissued shares in authorized option pools |
Please note that this view shows Pulley's default ownership categories only, and does not display any custom relationships created by your organization.
A note on "Available": This category represents unissued shares sitting in authorized equity pools — shares the board has approved for future grants but that haven't been granted to anyone yet. It's not a person or entity; it's the remaining capacity of your pools represented as an ownership slice to show what percentage of your company is still available for future grants.
The top stakeholders table lists your largest holders. Ownership percentages recalculate automatically whenever equity changes hands. Clicking a stakeholder name surfaces their detailed holdings. Clicking a pool name shows all grants issued from that pool.
Each dashboard section includes a See More link in the top right corner that navigates to the underlying data source:
- From Ownership breakdown, See More takes you to the Stakeholders tab
- From Employee equity, See More takes you to the Equity Plans tab
Guides
The Guides section of your dashboard links to curated equity education resources organized by topic. These are not help center articles. They are concept-level content from the Pulley team covering the fundamentals of equity, from how vesting works to what to consider before a fundraising round. Think of them as background reading that builds your broader understanding of equity management over time, rather than step-by-step guidance for specific Pulley tasks.
Four topic areas are covered:
- Equity 101: foundational concepts including vesting, exercise windows, and share classes
- Hiring: option grants, RSAs, and equity as part of compensation
- Fundraising: SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced rounds
- Compliance: 409A valuations, tax reporting, and securities law requirements
See our Guides section for more topics →
Tasks and pending actions
The task notification system lives in the top navigation bar. The badge number on the clipboard icon shows how many pending tasks require your attention.
Immediately after onboarding, a high task count of 30–50+ is not uncommon. Pulley automatically generates e-certificates during onboarding for all previously issued shares, and each certificate needs an authorized signatory signature. This is not an error or a backlog from something you missed. It is the expected starting state.
Tasks generate automatically based on workflow triggers. Common task types include:
- Sign documents: e-certificates and stock agreements awaiting authorized signatory signature
- Review exercise requests: option exercises submitted by stakeholders awaiting admin approval
- Review and sign stock agreements: option agreements or RSA purchase agreements awaiting signature
→ For step-by-step guidance on working through your task queue, see Find and Complete Pending Tasks (How-To 4.1)
In-progress securities
In-progress securities are equity transactions that have been started but not yet completed. These appear in your task queue and are distinct from drafts. They represent active workflows already in motion, such as repurchasing unvested shares from a departed employee. If you see in-progress securities in your queue, there is a transaction that needs your attention to move forward or resolve.
→ For more on managing in-progress securities, see How do I use Drafts? (Help Center)
System reminders
Below your task list, Pulley surfaces proactive system reminders based on your cap table status. These are suggestions, not blockers. They are designed to surface important administrative actions before they become urgent. Common reminders include:
- Requesting a 409A valuation
- Expanding an option pool approaching capacity
- Other cap table maintenance suggestions
Pulley also sends reminders for specific time-sensitive workflows:
- 83(b) elections: Deadline alerts and stakeholder reminder tools
- Wallet verification: Stakeholder reminders and recurring verification schedules
- Form 3921 filing deadlines: Annual tax reporting reminders
Recent activity feed
Every change to your cap table appears in the activity feed within seconds, logged in reverse chronological order with timestamps and the name of the person who made the change.
The feed captures permission changes, new equity pools, stakeholder record updates, security modifications, and status changes. When a security is updated, you see the specific fields that changed. When permissions change, you see which admin gained or lost which access level. Sensitive data such as Social Security numbers displays as encrypted strings.
This audit trail serves three purposes. For troubleshooting, you can identify exactly when and by whom something changed if numbers look unexpected. For transparency, all admins share visibility into cap table modifications. For compliance, you have a complete documented history for audits or legal reviews.
Admin dashboard vs. stakeholder portal
The dashboard you are looking at is admin-only. Stakeholders see a simplified personal portal showing only their own equity holdings, vesting schedules, documents, and (if applicable) the ability to submit option exercise requests. They have no visibility into the cap table, other stakeholders' equity, pool availability, tasks, or the activity feed.
Even signatories who aren't designated admins don't see this dashboard. They access signature requests through a simplified view but don't get cap table visibility or management tools.
If someone holds equity and also manages the cap table (like a co-founder for example), they can toggle between their personal stakeholder portal and the admin dashboard using the dropdown menu in the top left corner of Pulley.
For a complete breakdown of what each role sees, see Admin access vs. stakeholder access → (Article 1.2)
Ready to invite stakeholders to their portal? See Invite Stakeholders to Their Portal (How-To 3.4)
Common questions
Can I customize my dashboard layout?
Not currently. Dashboard sections are fixed. Some reports allow date range filtering, and most sections have "See More" links to expand beyond the default view.
How often does the dashboard update?
In real time. Any cap table change appears immediately on the dashboard and in the activity feed.
Who can see the activity feed?
Admins only. Stakeholders cannot see the activity feed or any cap table changes beyond updates to their own holdings.
Why is my task count so high right after onboarding?
Pulley generates e-certificates during onboarding for all previously issued shares. Each certificate needs an authorized signatory signature. A high initial task count is expected, not an error. See Find and Complete Pending Tasks (How-To 4.1) to work through them.
Why are some of my equity pools over 100% granted?
This happens when more options were granted than the pool authorized. You'll need to expand the pool, which requires board and possibly stockholder approval, before issuing more grants from that plan. See Understanding Equity Plan Capacity (Article 5.0) for more detail.
Can I see historical versions of my cap table?
Yes. You can download your cap table directly from the dashboard by pressing the Download button in the top right. Alternatively, you can go to Reports → Cap Table Report and select any historical date to see your cap table as of that point in time.
What if I see an error in my dashboard data?
Contact support via in-app chat or at support@pulley.com for assistance.
What's next
- Understand the admin and stakeholder distinction in depth: Admin access vs. stakeholder access (Article 1.2)
- Work through your post-onboarding task queue: Find and Complete Pending Tasks (How-To 4.1)
- Start configuring your workspace: Configure Your Company Settings (How-To 3.1)