Resources
Guides, tools, and answers for founders and early hires.
Guides
How to write a founding role job description
An effective founding role job description is not a corporate template. It should lead with mission and scope, be transparent about stage and compensation, and clearly describe the team, culture, and next steps so the right candidates can self-select.
How to negotiate founding team compensation
Negotiate startup compensation by understanding the stage and tradeoff between cash and equity. Earlier stage means more equity and lower cash. Be clear on equity terms, vesting, and role scope. Most startups have flexibility on equity but fixed cash budgets.
What to look for in your first 10 hires
Your first 10 hires define company culture and set the foundation for growth. Look for generalists over specialists, people who are comfortable with ambiguity, and those who can scale alongside the company. Avoid hiring too deep too early.
How to evaluate equity offers
Evaluate equity offers by understanding the stage, option pool size, and your ownership percentage. Ask about the 409A valuation, liquidation preferences, and vesting schedule. More equity at an earlier stage means more risk but higher potential upside.
What to look for in a startup before joining
Before joining a startup, evaluate the founders' track record, product-market fit signals, funding status, and team dynamics. Look for clarity on role expectations, equity terms, and growth potential. Talk to current and former employees.
Red flags when evaluating founding roles
Red flags include unclear equity terms, no vesting, founders with poor track records, unclear product direction, and toxic culture. Also watch for unrealistic expectations, poor communication, and misaligned incentives. Trust your instincts.
How to hire a founding engineer
Hiring a founding engineer requires evaluating technical skills, cultural fit, and equity expectations differently than later hires. Look for full-stack capability, ownership mentality, and comfort with ambiguity. The best candidates have built Side projects, contributed to open source, or started their own projects.
How to structure founding team equity
Founding team equity should be structured with 4-year vesting and a 1-year cliff. Co-founders typically receive 10-40% each, with the CEO often having a controlling stake. Early hires receive meaningful equity (0.5-3%) to align incentives with company success.
Tools & Resources
Founding Role Evaluation Checklist
A practical checklist for evaluating founding team opportunities — what to look for, what to avoid, and how to compare offers.
Startup Equity Comparison Template
A simple template to compare equity offers across different startups. Normalize for stage, valuation, and vesting terms.
Answers
What equity should a founding designer get?
Founding designers typically receive 0.3% to 2% equity depending on stage, timing, and employee number. The first design hire at a pre-seed startup might receive 1-2%, while a designer joining at seed stage after initial product work might receive 0.3-0.8%. Design hires generally receive slightly less equity than engineering hires at the same stage, but significantly more than later design hires who join after Series A.
How much does a founding sales hire make?
Founding sales hires typically earn $90K-$150K base salary plus commission, with total on-target earnings (OTE) of $150K-$250K depending on stage, deal size, and location. Equity ranges from 0.25% to 1.5%, with the first sales hire at seed stage receiving 0.8-1.5%. Sales compensation is more heavily weighted toward variable pay (commission) than other founding roles.
What is the difference between a founding engineer and a senior engineer?
A founding engineer makes foundational technical decisions with minimal oversight, defines engineering culture, and works with extreme product ambiguity, typically as one of the first 5-10 employees. Senior engineers at established companies work within existing systems, follow established architecture patterns, and have clear requirements and processes. Founding engineers receive significantly more equity (0.5-3%) but face higher execution risk.
What does a chief of staff do at a startup?
A chief of staff at a startup works directly with the CEO or founding team on the company's highest-priority projects, acting as a force multiplier across strategy, operations, communications, and execution. The role is highly context-dependent and typically involves board preparation, fundraising support, key hires, strategic initiatives, and anything requiring high-context decision-making. Chief of staff roles emerge post-Series A when founders need leverage on execution and coordination.
Is a founding role worth it?
Founding roles are worth it for people who value equity upside, learning velocity, and influence over stable compensation and established processes. The median outcome is lower total comp than big tech, but the upside (successful exit) can be life-changing. Founding roles make sense for people early in their career seeking accelerated learning, or experienced professionals who've optimized for cash comp at larger companies and want ownership and impact.