NewView and Carta Link Platforms to Simplify Startup Stock Sales

NewView and Carta announced a partnership designed to help startup employees sell a portion of their equity before an exit. The collaboration combines NewView's secondary deal expertise with Carta's equity management platform to streamline the process of tender offers. These transactions allow staff and early investors to sell shares at a fixed price to approved buyers.

The move addresses a growing challenge for workers at private companies who receive stock as part of their compensation. As the wait for an initial public offering or acquisition extends, many employees face limited options to cash out their holdings. The integration seeks to make it simpler for founders to launch and manage these liquidity programs.

Ravi Viswanathan, founder and managing partner of NewView, framed the effort as a way to improve retention and morale. He stated that the partnership aims to make it easier for CEOs to consider tenders. Viswanathan described early liquidity as a benefit for employees, companies, and investors alike, noting that the traditional recruiting pitch of eventual unicorn status has lost some of its impact.

Data from a recent study by NewView Capital and Carta indicates that tender offers among Series C and later-stage startups have grown threefold over the past three years. Viswanathan noted that the practice is no longer reserved for the most valuable private firms. He cited Hightouch, a marketing customization startup, as an example. NewView led a tender for the seven-year-old company at a $1.3 billion valuation last year.

Despite this growth, tender offers remain uncommon among eligible startups. The research found that only 44 such offers were executed in the first half of 2026. Viswanathan argued that more companies should adopt the practice to prevent talent from moving to public competitors. He stated that the trend of companies staying private for 12 to 15 years is unlikely to change soon.

Several high-profile companies have recently held tenders, including Decagon, an AI customer support startup, and Wayve, which develops self-driving technology. ElevenLabs, an AI voice generator, completed two offerings in under a year. Viswanathan said these moves help companies signal that employees can expect liquidity during their tenure, a message he believes is increasingly important in the current market.