Carta Launches 401(k) Platform Using Morgan Stanley Consulting and Vestwell Technology
Carta, an equity management software solution, today announced the launch of its 401(k) platform for private companies.
The Carta 401(k) will be overseen by Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Consulting Solutions business along with Vestwell, who will run the plan’s recordkeeping. Companies who utilize the Carta 401(k) platform will have direct access to Vestwell’s retirement platform, along with access to investment portfolios managed by Morgan Stanley.
“We’ve rebuilt financial benefits from the ground up to give founders and employees a best-in-class savings experience,” said Henry Ward, chief executive officer at Carta, in a statement. “By launching the Carta 401(k), we’re making sophisticated, low-cost retirement plans, once reserved for big enterprises, available to every startup, with the simplicity and transparency they expect.”
Other features include a transparent fee structure designed for scaling and without hidden AUM penalties, along with fiduciary support from Morgan Stanley team members.
“Modern companies expect their financial infrastructure to scale with them,” said Aaron Schumm, founder and chief executive officer at Vestwell. “By embedding retirement directly within Carta’s ecosystem, we’re turning what was once a standalone benefit into a fully-integrated part of the wealth journey by offering innovative savings tools to help teams get better control of and visibility into their investments without adding operational complexity.”
The latest partnership with Morgan Stanley and Vestwell is set to build upon its suite of services for private companies, Carta adds. In 2025, Carta announced two agreements with Morgan Stanley—one as an exclusive equity compensation provider for late-stage private companies going public, and another as the preferred wealth manager to help private-company founders, executives, and employees prepare for liquidity events.
Over 50,000 companies utilize Carta’s platform to streamline ownership workflow and manage and grow equity. Carta’s Fund Administration platform supports over 8,800 funds and represents more than $203 billion in assets under management (AUM).
Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with nearly a decade of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news. She is originally from Queens, New York, but now resides in Denver, Colorado.