Startup Compensation Benchmarks
Overview
This skill provides salary and equity benchmark data for startup hiring. Data is segmented by company stage, role level, and location tier to help CEOs make competitive offers.
How to Use This Data
- Identify company stage (Seed, Series A, B, C+)
- Determine role level (IC, Senior, Staff, Manager, Director, VP, C-level)
- Apply location tier adjustment (Tier 1, 2, or 3)
- Consider percentile target (25th for budget-conscious, 50th for competitive, 75th for aggressive)
Salary Benchmarks by Stage and Level
Seed Stage Companies
| Level |
25th %ile |
50th %ile |
75th %ile |
| Junior IC |
$70K |
$85K |
$100K |
| Mid IC |
$90K |
$110K |
$130K |
| Senior IC |
$120K |
$145K |
$170K |
| Staff IC |
$150K |
$175K |
$200K |
| Manager |
$130K |
$155K |
$180K |
| Director |
$160K |
$190K |
$220K |
| VP |
$180K |
$220K |
$260K |
Series A Companies
| Level |
25th %ile |
50th %ile |
75th %ile |
| Junior IC |
$80K |
$95K |
$115K |
| Mid IC |
$100K |
$125K |
$150K |
| Senior IC |
$140K |
$165K |
$190K |
| Staff IC |
$170K |
$200K |
$230K |
| Manager |
$150K |
$175K |
$200K |
| Director |
$180K |
$215K |
$250K |
| VP |
$220K |
$270K |
$320K |
Series B Companies
| Level |
25th %ile |
50th %ile |
75th %ile |
| Junior IC |
$90K |
$105K |
$125K |
| Mid IC |
$115K |
$140K |
$165K |
| Senior IC |
$155K |
$185K |
$215K |
| Staff IC |
$190K |
$225K |
$260K |
| Manager |
$165K |
$195K |
$225K |
| Director |
$200K |
$240K |
$280K |
| VP |
$260K |
$310K |
$360K |
Series C+ Companies
| Level |
25th %ile |
50th %ile |
75th %ile |
| Junior IC |
$100K |
$120K |
$140K |
| Mid IC |
$130K |
$155K |
$180K |
| Senior IC |
$170K |
$200K |
$235K |
| Staff IC |
$210K |
$250K |
$290K |
| Manager |
$180K |
$215K |
$250K |
| Director |
$225K |
$270K |
$315K |
| VP |
$300K |
$360K |
$420K |
Location Tier Adjustments
| Tier |
Description |
Multiplier |
| Tier 1 |
SF, NYC, Seattle |
1.0x (baseline) |
| Tier 2 |
LA, Boston, Austin, Denver, DC |
0.90x |
| Tier 3 |
Remote / Other locations |
0.80-0.85x |
Application: Multiply base salary by location multiplier.
Equity Benchmarks by Stage and Level
Equity shown as percentage of fully-diluted company ownership.
Seed Stage
| Level |
25th %ile |
50th %ile |
75th %ile |
| Junior IC |
0.02% |
0.05% |
0.10% |
| Mid IC |
0.05% |
0.10% |
0.20% |
| Senior IC |
0.10% |
0.25% |
0.50% |
| Staff IC |
0.25% |
0.50% |
0.75% |
| Manager |
0.15% |
0.30% |
0.50% |
| Director |
0.40% |
0.75% |
1.00% |
| VP |
0.75% |
1.25% |
2.00% |
Series A
| Level |
25th %ile |
50th %ile |
75th %ile |
| Junior IC |
0.01% |
0.025% |
0.05% |
| Mid IC |
0.025% |
0.05% |
0.10% |
| Senior IC |
0.05% |
0.15% |
0.30% |
| Staff IC |
0.15% |
0.30% |
0.50% |
| Manager |
0.10% |
0.20% |
0.35% |
| Director |
0.25% |
0.50% |
0.75% |
| VP |
0.50% |
1.00% |
1.50% |
Series B
| Level |
25th %ile |
50th %ile |
75th %ile |
| Junior IC |
0.005% |
0.015% |
0.03% |
| Mid IC |
0.015% |
0.03% |
0.06% |
| Senior IC |
0.03% |
0.08% |
0.15% |
| Staff IC |
0.08% |
0.15% |
0.25% |
| Manager |
0.05% |
0.10% |
0.20% |
| Director |
0.15% |
0.30% |
0.50% |
| VP |
0.30% |
0.60% |
1.00% |
Series C+
| Level |
25th %ile |
50th %ile |
75th %ile |
| Junior IC |
0.002% |
0.005% |
0.01% |
| Mid IC |
0.005% |
0.015% |
0.03% |
| Senior IC |
0.015% |
0.04% |
0.08% |
| Staff IC |
0.04% |
0.08% |
0.15% |
| Manager |
0.025% |
0.05% |
0.10% |
| Director |
0.08% |
0.15% |
0.30% |
| VP |
0.15% |
0.35% |
0.60% |
Role-Specific Adjustments
Engineering
- Machine Learning / AI: +10-20% salary premium
- Security / Infrastructure: +5-15% salary premium
- Frontend typically at baseline
Sales
- Base + OTE structure (typically 50/50 or 60/40 split)
- AE OTE typically 2x base
- Sales leadership may have accelerators
Executive Hires
- C-level equity: 1-5% depending on stage and role
- CEO typically retains largest stake
- CTO/CFO often second-tier equity
Refresh Grants
Annual equity refreshes to retain talent:
| Stage |
Typical Annual Refresh |
| Seed |
25-50% of original grant |
| Series A |
20-40% of original grant |
| Series B |
15-30% of original grant |
| Series C+ |
10-25% of original grant |
Total Compensation Philosophy
Cash vs. Equity Tradeoffs:
- Earlier stage = more equity, less cash
- Candidate with family/mortgage may prefer cash
- Experienced candidates often value equity more
- Consider candidate's risk tolerance
Competitive Positioning:
- 25th percentile: Budget-conscious, offset with equity or mission
- 50th percentile: Market-competitive baseline
- 75th percentile: Aggressive hiring, competing for top talent
Additional Resources
For detailed role-specific guidance, see:
references/engineering-compensation.md - Engineering role breakdownsreferences/sales-compensation.md - Sales comp structuresreferences/executive-compensation.md - C-level and VP packages