Market Data & Offer Guide
Know what a competitive offer should look like.
Direct answer
Vektor helps Seed through Series C hiring managers calibrate competitive offers for engineering, sales, and ops seats using illustrative market bands, typically paired with 18 to 25% contingency fees paid at start and a 90-day replacement guarantee on placements.
A working offer builder, the comp ranges we reference across Engineering, Sales, and Ops searches, and an exit projector that helps you sell equity upside at $250M, $1B, $5B, or $20B outcomes, built for Seed through Series C hiring managers.
Ranges are illustrative market patterns drawn from public Levels.fyi / Pave / Carta-style benchmarks and common VC-backed hiring practice. They are starting points for offer conversations, not guarantees for any specific hire.
Last updated
Offer calculator
Translate any seat into a coherent offer.
Pick the role, stage, and location. Adjust base, equity, and post-money valuation. See whether you are below, in, or above market, and what the package looks like on paper today.
Build the offer
Defaults populate from current market ranges. Adjust anything.
Market: $170K–$220K
Market: 0.10%–0.30%
Typical Series A: ~$80M
Total comp (today's paper view)
$235K
In market range · today: $210K–$290K- Annual base
- $195,000(In market range)
- Annual equity value*
- $40,000(In market range)
- Annual cash bonus
- None
*Today's annual equity value = (% × current post-money) ÷ vesting years. This is paper value today. Use the exit projector below to show candidates what the grant could be worth at outcome.
About this stage
Series A
Typical valuation
~$80M
Team size
15–40 people
Typical raise
$8M–$25M
Scaling the first functions. Candidates expect clearer leveling and still care about equity upside.
Closing this seat? See Vektor placement fees.
The dream · Exit scenarios
If the company sells for X, the grant is worth Y.
Candidates ask this. Be ready with a clear answer. Pick a reference exit, drag the slider, or type your own number.
Offer inputs for the story
Use the same equity % and cash you are putting in the offer letter so candidates see a coherent narrative.
How to sell this offer
- Equity at this exit
- $2.00M
- + Cash earned (4 yrs base + bonus)
- $780K
- Total proceeds over 4 yrs
- $2.78M
Reading the numbers: Equity payout assumes the current stake at exit with no future dilution. Most VC-backed companies dilute another 15–30% before exit, so treat these as the optimistic view when talking to candidates.
How to structure the offer
The three ways to value startup equity
If you quote a single "total comp" number, know which method you used. The same offer looks 3–5× different depending on how equity is valued.
| Method | How it's computed | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Post-money valuation | % × current priced-round valuation. | Most optimistic. Useful when selling upside to a candidate. |
| Discounted expected outcome | % × current valuation × 0.3–0.7 (dilution + execution risk). | The honest planning number for comparing offers side by side. |
| 409A / strike price | % × IRS-blessed common-share value. | Legal lower bound. Almost always too pessimistic for recruiting conversations. |
A worked example
Staff Engineer at Series B, $300M post-money, 0.20% equity
| Method | Total equity value | Annual (4yr vest) |
|---|---|---|
| Post-money valuation | $600,000 | $150,000 |
| Discounted expected (0.5×) | $300,000 | $75,000 |
| 409A (assume 20% of post) | $120,000 | $30,000 |
All three are technically "the equity value." The honest planning number for competing offers is usually in the middle. Use post-money when you want to show upside.
The single best question to answer in a final-round offer call: "If we exit at the current valuation in 4 years, what is this equity actually worth net of likely dilution?"
Reference data
Comp ranges by function
Illustrative bands for VC-backed startups. Use them to set a coherent range before you open the seat.
| Role | Stage | Base (USD) | Equity (%) | Realistic total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founding Engineer | Pre-Seed | $140K–$180K | 1.00%–3.00% | $165K–$255K |
| Founding Engineer | Seed | $160K–$200K | 0.50%–2.00% | $200K–$300K |
| Senior Engineer | Seed | $160K–$200K | 0.25%–0.60% | $190K–$270K |
| Senior Engineer | Series A | $170K–$220K | 0.10%–0.30% | $210K–$290K |
| Senior Engineer | Series B | $190K–$240K | 0.05%–0.15% | $240K–$340K |
| Senior Engineer | Series C | $200K–$250K | 0.03%–0.10% | $260K–$360K |
| Staff Engineer | Series A | $200K–$245K | 0.20%–0.45% | $260K–$360K |
| Staff Engineer | Series B | $220K–$280K | 0.10%–0.25% | $310K–$440K |
| Staff Engineer | Series C | $240K–$300K | 0.05%–0.15% | $340K–$480K |
| Engineering Manager | Series A | $200K–$250K | 0.15%–0.40% | $270K–$390K |
| Engineering Manager | Series B | $210K–$260K | 0.10%–0.30% | $290K–$410K |
| Director of Engineering | Series B | $240K–$290K | 0.20%–0.45% | $340K–$480K |
| Director of Engineering | Series C | $260K–$310K | 0.15%–0.35% | $360K–$500K |
SF / NYC baseline. Other US metros and remote often compress base ~10–15%.
Common pitfalls
Offer mistakes we see founders make
Most lost candidates are not about one number. They are about an incoherent story across base, equity, and timeline.
01
Matching FAANG cash at Seed equity
A Seed offer that pays Big Tech base while granting Pre-seed/Seed equity burns cash without an upside story. At early stage, equity should do meaningful work in the package.
02
Ignoring geo and remote bands
SF/NYC baselines do not travel 1:1. Remote and secondary metros often compress base 10–15%. Publishing one national number creates renegotiation risk.
03
Under-equitizing the bottleneck seat
The founding eng or first AE who unlocks the next 18 months is not a mid-band hire. If the seat is existential, price the grant accordingly.
04
No refresh grant plan
A 4-year grant hits zero in year 5. Without a defined refresh policy, you lose senior people exactly when they are most valuable.
05
Selling post-money as if it were cash
Candidates compare your paper equity to liquid RSUs. Discount the equity when you narrate the offer, or you lose trust in the final call.
06
Forgetting exercise cost and tax
ISO/NSO grants can require real cash to exercise. Senior candidates will ask. Have a plain-English answer ready.
FAQ
Startup comp & equity FAQ
Short answers for hiring managers calibrating offers.
Illustrative working ranges: founding engineer (employees #1–5) 0.5%–2.0%; senior engineer at Series A 0.10%–0.30%; staff engineer at Series B 0.10%–0.25%; VP Sales at Series B 0.25%–0.70%. Use the calculator above to place a specific grant inside its band.
Stage-dependent. At Pre-Seed/Seed, equity has the most asymmetric upside for candidates who can afford it. By Series C, packages skew toward cash and clearer refresh grants. If the candidate has heavy financial obligations, optimize base first.
Each priced round often issues ~15–25% new equity. A 0.5% Seed grant can land near ~0.26% after Series C without refreshes. Be honest: show today's paper value and a diluted scenario. Strong candidates prefer clarity over inflated headlines.
Do not compare post-money paper dollars 1:1 with liquid RSUs. Use a discounted expected outcome (often ~0.3×–0.7× of post-money) for planning, and keep post-money for upside storytelling.
Most early-stage startups grant ISOs (tax-advantaged, AMT risk). NSOs are simpler for some contractors/advisors. Later-stage and pre-IPO companies often move toward RSUs. Match the instrument to stage and candidate sophistication.
Use this page to set a coherent band before you open the seat. Use Vektor when you need sourcing, screening, and a partner who can close competitive candidates against that band, especially for multi-role or post-raise spikes (Hiring Partner).
Want a calibrated second opinion?
We help Seed through Series C teams hire engineering, sales, and ops talent, and we can pressure-test the offer before you go to market.
Data is illustrative; not financial advice. Pricing