The 409A PDF Is Dead. It Just Doesn’t Know It Yet
Traditional 409A valuation reports have been the cornerstone of equity compensation compliance in the USA. These reports have shielded businesses from hefty IRS penalties for many years. But here’s the problem. Traditional 409A valuations can no longer keep up with the pace of modern businesses.
The traditional 409A PDF report is a valuation snapshot you request once a year and file away in your data room. These reports are useful from a compliance perspective, but they hold no strategic insights. They don’t reflect evolving trends such as new revenue lines, product launches, or even changes in overall market sentiment.
Given that private companies these days are expected to operate with the same agility as public ones, that’s not just outdated but also dangerous.
It’s time for something better. It’s time for Eqvista Real-Time Company Valuation®.
Compliance + Clarity: Why 409A Isn’t Enough
Let’s be clear. 409A valuations aren’t going away, nor should they. Every company that issues stock options needs a defensible 409A to stay compliant with IRS rules.
But founders and CFOs need more than compliance. They need visibility into the mechanisms driving business value. They need a surrogate for listed companies’ quoted share prices, a metric that updates as the company grows, the market shifts, or new capital enters the business.
That’s why we built something different at Eqvista.
Introducing: Real-Time FMV (Free with Your 409A)
With Eqvista, your 409A valuation becomes more than a static document. It evolves into a dynamic system that gives you:
- Unlimited 409A updates: All price updates are IRS-defensible and audit-ready
- Live pricing: A share price that updates continuously as your company evolves
- Historical price graph: Facilitates benchmarking against indices as well as industry peers
- AI-powered + Human-delivered: Every number is verified by an in-house valuation expert
- PDF reports: Downloadable reports for compliance-related recordkeeping
- Direct access to our team: Request as many follow-ups or custom reports as you need. Allow us to decipher your business’s value!
This isn’t a replacement for your 409A — it’s the next layer.
Why Real-Time FMV Matters
Your fair market value (FMV) is often the basis for your latest round, M&A conversations, investor negotiations, and internal planning. And that value should move with your business.
Real-Time FMV lets you track valuation changes month to month, week to week, or even daily. You can see how a new contract, growing investor appetite, or product launch actually affects your price.
It’s powerful for:
- Fundraising: Give VCs confidence in your growth and pricing
- Equity planning: Help employees understand the value of their shares
- M&A: Establish a negotiation anchor based on real data
- Board & investor reporting: Show progress without guesswork
From Static PDFs to Live Pricing Infrastructure
Private markets have long lacked the transparency and real-time tools available in public markets. Just like public companies have live stock tickers, private companies deserve dynamic valuation signals too. At Eqvista, we’re building that missing pricing infrastructure layer.
When you work with Eqvista, you don’t have to choose between the agility of private markets and the visibility of public markets.
Built by Experts, Powered by Data
We’ve processed over $270 billion in private market valuations and serve more than 5,000 paying clients, from seed startups to unicorns and pre-IPO giants. Our models ingest more than $5 billion in valuation data monthly.
Every valuation is powered by our proprietary engine and reviewed by human valuation experts certified by NACVA, CVA, CFA, and many other reputed institutions. Eqvista combines deep financial expertise with AI-backed speed to deliver unmatched accuracy.
The Future Is Real-Time, And It’s Already Here!
We believe valuation should be alive and not buried in static PDFs.
When you order a 409A from Eqvista, you’re not just checking a compliance box. You’re plugging into a live stock price that grows and changes with you. That’s the future of private market infrastructure.
It’s what public markets have had for decades. And now, it’s finally available for private companies too.
Get started today!
Stop guessing what your company is worth. Schedule a call with our team and get answers in minutes, not weeks. Watch Real-Time Valuation in action with a live pricing dashboard demo. Or if you just have questions, reach out, you’ll talk to real humans who actually understand cap tables. Your company’s value changes every day. Your valuation should too.
