Comprehensive startup compensation benchmarks covering base salary, equity grants, and total compensation across engineering, product, design, marketing, sales, and executive roles by funding stage. AI/ML roles surged 5-9% in H1 2025 while equity packages remained static. [src1]
Data vintage: H1 2025 data from 40,000+ employees at 5,000+ startups.
Key shift: Two-tier market — AI/ML roles command 15-25% premiums while non-AI salaries plateau.
Definition: Annual base salary (cash), US market, 50th percentile. Excludes equity and bonuses.
| Level | Seed | Series A | Series B | Series C+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior (L1-L2) | $110K | $125K | $135K | $145K |
| Mid (L3-L4) | $140K | $155K | $170K | $185K |
| Senior (L5-L6) | $165K | $185K | $200K | $220K |
| Staff (L7) | $185K | $210K | $235K | $260K |
| Eng Manager | $170K | $195K | $215K | $240K |
| VP Engineering | $210K | $250K | $285K | $320K |
AI/ML Premium: Add 15-25% to above for AI/ML engineering roles.
| Level | Seed | Series A | Series B | Series C+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | 0.10-0.25% | 0.03-0.08% | 0.01-0.04% | 0.005-0.02% |
| Mid | 0.25-0.50% | 0.08-0.20% | 0.03-0.08% | 0.01-0.04% |
| Senior | 0.50-1.00% | 0.15-0.40% | 0.06-0.15% | 0.02-0.06% |
| Staff | 0.75-1.50% | 0.25-0.60% | 0.10-0.25% | 0.04-0.10% |
| VP Engineering | 1.50-3.00% | 0.60-1.50% | 0.25-0.60% | 0.10-0.25% |
| Level | Seed | Series A | Series B | Series C+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM | $130K | $145K | $160K | $175K |
| Senior PM | $155K | $175K | $195K | $215K |
| Director | $180K | $210K | $240K | $270K |
| VP Product | $200K | $240K | $275K | $310K |
| Role | Seed | Series A | Series B | Series C+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO (non-founder) | $180K | $225K | $275K | $350K |
| CTO | $175K | $220K | $265K | $325K |
| CFO | $170K | $215K | $260K | $320K |
| Founder/CEO | $100-150K | $150-200K | $200-275K | $275-350K |
| Location Tier | Multiplier | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (Tech Hubs) | 1.00x | SF, NYC, Seattle |
| Tier 2 (Major Metro) | 0.85-0.95x | LA, Boston, Austin, Denver |
| Tier 3 (Mid-Market) | 0.75-0.85x | Nashville, Raleigh, Portland |
| Tier 4 (Lower Cost) | 0.65-0.80x | Midwest, Southeast, remote |
| W. Europe | 0.70-0.85x | London, Berlin, Amsterdam |
| E. Europe | 0.35-0.50x | Warsaw, Bucharest, Prague |
| Rule | Formula / Threshold | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Equity = 0.5x salary at seed | Equity FMV / base salary | Fair risk-reward for early hires |
| 50th pct = table stakes | Market median cash comp | Below 50th = retention risk |
| Eng = 60-70% of headcount | Eng comp / total comp | Typical for product-led startups |
| AI premium = 15-25% | AI role vs equivalent non-AI | Current market scarcity premium |
| Equity refresh = 25-50% | Annual refresh / initial grant | Retention post-cliff mechanism |
| Segment | Definition | Typical Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Seed / Seed | <$5M raised | Below-market salary, largest equity, 2-15 employees |
| Series A | $5-20M raised, PMF achieved | Approaching market-rate, 15-50 employees |
| Series B | $20-60M raised, scaling | Market-rate salaries, comp committees, 50-200 employees |
| Series C+ | $60M+ raised, late-stage | Big-tech competitive, smallest equity %, 200+ employees |
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (proj.) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sr. Engineer (Series A) | $178K | $185K | $188-195K | ↑ 4-5% |
| AI/ML Premium | 10-15% | 15-25% | 18-28% | ↑ 5-8pp |
| Avg Equity (seed) | 0.55% | 0.50% | 0.45-0.50% | → stable |
| Founder Salary (seed) | $125K | $130K | $130-140K | ↑ 3-5% |
| VP Eng (Series B) | $272K | $285K | $290-300K | ↑ 4-5% |
| Remote Discount (T3) | 18-22% | 15-20% | 13-18% | Narrowing |
Fetch when a user asks about startup compensation, needs to set salary bands for hiring, is negotiating a startup offer, or needs headcount cost budgets for a financial model by funding stage.