Enterprise Value vs Equity Value
Enterprise value (EV) is the total value of a business including debt and excluding cash. Equity value is the shareholders' stake after debt is paid off and cash is netted out. Equity value is sometimes called market capitalization for public companies, or simply "equity value" in private M&A. The two are connected by a bridge calculation that determines what shareholders actually receive when a company is sold. The distinction is the difference between the headline acquisition price (often quoted in EV terms) and the actual amount that flows to shareholders.
The standard bridge calculation: Equity Value = Enterprise Value - Debt + Cash - Other Adjustments (transaction expenses, working-capital adjustments, etc.). Worked example: a company is announced as a "$200 million acquisition" (the enterprise value), carries $30 million in debt, has $10 million in cash, and incurs $5 million in transaction expenses. The equity value flowing to shareholders is $200M - $30M + $10M - $5M = $175 million, distributed across the cap table according to the liquidation waterfall. Why this matters at the negotiation: acquisition deals are typically negotiated and announced in enterprise value terms (it's the "cleaner" number that doesn't depend on the specific cash and debt at closing), but founders care about equity value because that's what determines their personal proceeds. Working-capital adjustments at close can move equity value by a few percent in either direction; debt assumed by the buyer reduces equity value dollar-for-dollar; cash on hand at close increases equity value dollar-for-dollar (with some structures specifying "minimum cash at close" requirements). For public-company M&A, equity value is usually quoted directly as "$X per share" times shares outstanding. For private M&A, enterprise value is the more common headline and the bridge calculation reveals the real founder outcome.
Ryan's Take
The EV-versus-equity-value distinction is one of those things founders learn the hard way at their first acquisition. The press release says "$200 million" and the founder's brain hears "$200 million to me and my shareholders." The bridge calculation reveals that after debt is paid off, working capital is trued up, transaction expenses are deducted, the escrow is funded, and the liquidation waterfall fills the preference stack first, the founder might be looking at a much smaller number than the headline. Always model the bridge yourself, with your CFO and lawyer, before signing anything. The headline number is the marketing copy; the bridge number is the truth.
What founders get wrong: Anchoring on the enterprise value when comparing acquisition offers or setting personal expectations. A $200M EV deal with $50M in debt and a heavy preference stack can produce dramatically less in founder proceeds than a $180M EV deal with no debt and a clean cap table. Compare apples to apples by always modeling equity value flowing to common shareholders, not headline enterprise value.
Related: Acquisition · Exit Multiple · Liquidation Waterfall · Definitive Agreement
FAQ
What is the difference between enterprise value and equity value?
Enterprise value is the total value of a business including debt and excluding cash. Equity value is the value of just the shareholders' stake after debt is paid off and cash is netted out. Bridge: Equity Value = Enterprise Value - Debt + Cash - Other Adjustments.
Which one do founders actually receive?
Equity value flows to shareholders, distributed according to the liquidation waterfall. Enterprise value is the cleaner headline used in deal announcements, but founders care about equity value because that determines their personal proceeds. Acquisition deals are typically negotiated in EV terms but the founder outcome depends on the bridge to equity value.
Why is acquisition price quoted in enterprise value?
Because EV doesn't depend on the specific cash and debt at closing, which can fluctuate between signing and closing. The buyer is acquiring "the business" at the EV level; the seller's actual proceeds depend on the working-capital state and capital structure at close, which is what the bridge calculation captures.
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