STARTUP CEO SALARY GUIDE

Startup CEO Salaries Overview

Explore executive compensation in the startup ecosystem with our in-depth Startup CEO Salary Guide.

Created for founders, investors, boards, and executive recruiters, this guide delivers essential insights into CEO salary startup trends across the United States and North America.

The Startup CEO Salary Guide provides a detailed breakdown of average compensation by company stage (pre-seed to Series D+), funding level, industry sector, and location.

Why use our Startup CEO Salary Guide?

Backed by thousands of data points collected through founder interviews, investor feedback, and self-reported insights via our exclusive startup talent network, this guide offers the most accurate and startup-specific view of executive pay.

Whether you’re a founder benchmarking your own package or an investor aligning expectations, this guide helps you navigate startup CEO salary norms with confidence.

Unlike generalized surveys, our insights are drawn directly from startup founders, board members, and real-world term sheets. Our CEO startup salary guide reflects today’s market reality, not outdated assumptions.

How do we ensure accuracy?

Our executive compensation dataset is one of the most comprehensive in the startup world.

We source verified salary information directly from venture-backed startups across all funding stages, providing not only base salary figures but also equity ownership, performance-based bonuses, and non-cash perks such as flexible work, wellness benefits, and stock option plans.

Average Startup CEO Salary by Stage & Funding

Startup CEO salaries vary significantly depending on the growth phase and investor backing:

• Pre-seed & Seed: Founders at this stage often draw minimal salaries ($0–$100K), prioritizing equity over cash as they build the business.
• Series A–B: As funding increases, CEO startup salary packages typically range from $120K–$180K, with equity still forming a large part of the total reward.
• Series C+ and Growth Stage: Salaries for seasoned startup CEOs can reach $200K–$350K+, with structured bonus plans and reduced equity dilution.
• VC-backed vs. Bootstrapped: Funded startups generally offer higher base salaries, while bootstrapped companies lean heavily on equity and deferred compensation.

Startup CEO Salary by Sector & Location

Just like in any industry, geography and vertical matter:

• Tech hubs like San Francisco, New York, and Austin offer the highest average startup CEO salary, often exceeding national medians due to cost of living and competition for talent.
• Sector matters, too. Fintech and deep tech startups tend to offer more competitive pay than those in consumer or services-based sectors.

This guide helps you:

• Align salary expectations with company stage and funding
• Benchmark offers against national and regional standards
• Structure fair, scalable compensation plans for startup CEOs

Included in our Startup CEO Salary Guide:

• Average CEO salary startup by funding stage and company size
• Breakdown by VC involvement and capital raised
• Regional differences in startup CEO salary across major U.S. cities
• Cash vs. equity balance across industries
• Trends in founder compensation and benefits

Whether you’re negotiating a new hire, raising capital, or planning your own startup journey, our Startup CEO Salary Guide gives you the clarity to move forward with confidence.

Download your Startup CEO Salary Guide today.