Ownership Percentage

The portion of a company that an individual or entity owns, typically expressed as a percentage of total outstanding shares.

Definition

Ownership percentage represents how much of a company an investor, founder, or employee owns through equity stakes. It determines their share of profits, voting rights, and proceeds in exit scenarios like acquisitions or IPOs.

How to Calculate

Basic Formula:

Ownership % = (Shares Owned ÷ Total Outstanding Shares) × 100

Fully Diluted Basis:

Includes all potential shares (options, warrants, convertibles)

Real-World Example

Founder Ownership: Founder owns 2M shares out of 8M total outstanding shares

Ownership percentage: (2M ÷ 8M) × 100 = 25% ownership of the company

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