What Vinyl Equity does

Vinyl Equity is an SEC-registered transfer agent founded in 2022 and headquartered in Chicago, with an engineering hub in Mangaluru, India. The company provides a cloud-native, API-first platform that replaces legacy, paper-based transfer agency workflows for publicly traded companies. Its core product suite includes a Registrar module built on immutable ledgers with digital KYC (via Persona), e-signatures, and real-time shareholder tracking, alongside Proxy & AGM management, Restricted Securities delegending, automated Treasury Pool Reconciliation, and Paying Agency services. Notable proprietary components include the Vinyl Signature Guarantee (VSG), a digital replacement for Medallion Signature Guarantees under UCC Article 8 with up to $10 million fraud loss protection, T+1 guaranteed settlement, native tokenization capabilities, and a Data Ingestion Application (DIA) for migrating from legacy agents. The platform is DTC-authorized as a DWAC/FAST Agent and DRS Participant, and holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, and CCPA certifications.

Vinyl Equity serves three primary segments: public companies listed on NYSE, Nasdaq, and OTC Markets requiring transfer agent services; companies preparing for IPO that need modern cap table and shareholder onboarding infrastructure; and private companies with employee equity plans. Named enterprise customers include Neptune Insurance Holdings (post-NYSE listing) and Talkspace. The company is founder-led by CEO Rob Schoder and CTO Poornaprajna Udupi, with a leadership team spanning compliance, engineering, sales, and partnerships (notably Joe Conte, formerly of JPMorgan, Equiniti, and the NYSE).

The company operates an enterprise sales-led go-to-market motion, with dedicated BDRs and VP of Sales Colin Kindgren engaging CFOs, General Counsels, Corporate Secretaries, and Equity Administrators directly. Revenue is generated primarily through subscription-based, annual enterprise contracts for transfer agent services and premium compliance support, with quote-based pricing and no DWAC fees as a deliberate differentiator. The company has raised over $30 million across a $11.5M seed (April 2025, Index Ventures and Spark Capital co-led) and a $20M Series A (June 2026, Jump Capital led with MUFG Innovation Partners).

Name

Vinyl Equity

Legal name

Vinyl Equity, Inc.

Website

https://vinylequity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vinyl Equity is a Chicago-based SEC-registered transfer agent providing a cloud-native, API-first platform for shareholder recordkeeping, equity operations, proxy/AGM management, and paying agency services to public companies and IPO candidates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transfer Agent Services

NAICS

Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Asset Custody & Tokenization Servicing (FSAAAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tokenized Securities & Capital Markets Infrastructure (equities, bonds, funds, ATS/MTF connectivity) (FSAPAIAD), Tokenized Securities & Capital Markets (Equity, Debt, Funds) (FSADAEAA)

Keywords

• Transfer agent services
• Shareholder recordkeeping
• Equity administration
• Proxy voting management
• Capital markets infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Transfer Agent Services: Core transfer agent services including shareholder recordkeeping, equity operations, paying agency services, and transaction processing for public companies. Services include registrar functions, restricted securities management, proxy and AGM services, and dividend processing.
2. Premium Support and Compliance Services: Additional services for issuers including compliance management, regulatory reporting, and shareholder communication services governed by Section 13 electronic communications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vinyl Equity is an SEC-registered transfer agent operating a cloud-native, API-first platform that provides shareholder recordkeeping, equity administration, proxy and AGM management, and paying agency services for publicly traded companies on NYSE, Nasdaq, and OTC Markets. The platform replaces legacy mainframe-based transfer agent workflows with digital-first processes including digital KYC, e-signatures, real-time reporting, T+1 guaranteed settlement, and native tokenization support.

Product overview

Vinyl Equity offers a unified, cloud-native transfer agent platform for modern public companies. The core platform provides shareholder recordkeeping (Registrar), proxy and AGM management (Proxy & AGM), and paying agency services, supported by features for restricted securities management, real-time reporting and analytics, and equity plan integrations. The platform replaces legacy paper-based workflows with digital-first processes including automated cap table ingestion, treasury pool reconciliation, and Vinyl Signature Guarantee for fraud protection. Additional product lines include Shareholder Intelligence for beneficial ownership visibility and a Data Ingestion Application (DIA) for migration from legacy transfer agents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vinyl Equity Transfer Agent Platform Cloud-native, API-first SEC-registered transfer agent platform for publicly traded companies, providing shareholder recordkeeping, equity operations, proxy voting, paying agency services, and real-time transaction processing across public and private markets.
• Registrar Shareholder recordkeeping service using immutable ledgers, digital KYC, e-signatures, and real-time tracking to provide transparency, visibility, auditability, and accountability in share registry management for public companies. Vinyl is a DTC authorized DWAC/FAST Agent and DRS Participant.
• Proxy & AGM Single control center for managing the proxy lifecycle with real-time access to voting results, enabling issuers to strategically manage proxy outcomes and annual general meetings.
• Restricted Securities Management Service that enables holders of restricted securities and their service providers to proactively manage the process of delegending shares, enabling transfers in minutes rather than weeks through guided digital workflows, with restricted/legended tax-lot visibility.
• Reporting and Analytics Real-time, on-demand access to data via a user-friendly reporting suite, enabling issuers to access the latest shareholder data when needed with customizable reports and analytics for strategic decision-making.
• Paying Agency Services Handles dividend distribution, corporate actions, and shareholder payment workflows including cash mergers, tender offers, and escheatment management with modern payment rails for public company issuers.
• Shareholder Intelligence Product line that turns Vinyl's position as system of record into actionable insight for issuers about actual stock ownership and how ownership moves, providing beneficial ownership visibility.
• Data Ingestion Application (DIA) Automated data ingestion platform for migrating historical transactions from legacy transfer agents, identifying gaps and discrepancies, and helping customers reconcile and maintain clean data with diagnostic-first data quality signals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shareholder delegending transferred in minutes vs. weeks with legacy agents
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• PersonacoreTechnology or IntegrationIdentity verification solution provider used for KYC (Know Your Customer) and KYB (Know Your Business) onboarding of newly registered users and institutions. Vinyl uses Persona's services for identity verification during account registration in compliance with their terms of service.
• Silicon Beach Programme (SBP)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Silicon Beach Programme's BaseCamp initiative in Mangaluru, Karnataka. Vinyl Equity has set up nano Global Capability Centre operations in coastal Karnataka through SBP support, complementing their engineering hub in Mangaluru.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Computershare: The dominant global transfer agent and corporate trust services provider, serving the majority of S&P 500 companies. Direct competitor to Vinyl in shareholder recordkeeping, equity plan administration, and proxy services for US public companies.
• Equiniti: Major transfer agent and share registration services provider with US operations (formerly Wells Fargo Shareowner Services). Directly competes with Vinyl in serving NYSE/Nasdaq issuers, with Vinyl's Head of Partnerships Joe Conte having previously worked at Equiniti Trust Company.
• American Stock Transfer & Trust Company (AST): Mid-to-large US transfer agent serving public companies, mutual funds, and corporate issuers. Competes head-to-head with Vinyl for public-company TA mandates, particularly with mid-cap issuers and recent IPOs.
• Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company: Long-established US transfer agent serving hundreds of public companies, particularly active in SPAC and small-cap IPO transfers. Direct competitor for new listings and post-IPO equity administration.
• Securities Transfer Corporation: Smaller US transfer agent offering shareholder services to public companies. Competes with Vinyl in the mid-market and OTC Markets segment of the transfer agency industry.

Emerging players

• Carta: Cap table management and equity administration platform primarily serving private companies, but expanding into public-company transfer agency services. Competes with Vinyl in equity plan administration and cap table workflows, with potential convergence in the public-company market.
• Securitize: Tokenization platform for real-world assets and securities, offering issuer services for digital securities issuance. Comparable to Vinyl's native tokenization roadmap and positioning as infrastructure for tokenized capital markets.
• tZERO: Blockchain-based capital markets platform offering tokenized securities trading and ATS infrastructure. Comparable to Vinyl's tokenization roadmap as a competing infrastructure provider for tokenized capital markets.

Broad incumbents

• Workiva: Cloud-based compliance, reporting, and SEC filing platform serving public companies. Adjacent competitor to Vinyl in the corporate-secretary and regulatory-reporting workflow that public companies bundle with transfer agency services.
• Donnelley Financial Solutions (DFIN): Provider of financial communications, SEC filing, and capital markets services to public companies and law firms. Competes with Vinyl for IPO-related service mandates and capital markets infrastructure wallet share.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vinyl-equity
• Xx.com/vinylequity

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vinyl Equity