What is paid in capital?

[scorpioncapital]

Does anyone know if the line on most balance sheets called 'common shares and paid in capital' represents the total money that shareholders have put into the business to get it started? Can it be inferred from this measure the returns and efficiency of the business? For example if a business had this capital as $1 billion and now the market cap is $3 billion that investors put in $1 billion and now that stake is worth $3 billion after x years?

[dcollon]

Scorpion,

 

This might help a little.

 

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/paidincapital.asp