What equity package should I offer in 2026?

Equity for senior hires in UK tech typically ranges from around 1% of share capital for a first product or commercial leadership hire, up to the equivalent of 100% of salary in stock for C-level roles, with early-stage start-ups offering more equity to offset lower salaries and funded scale-ups offering less. Below are real, recent examples from roles Intelligent People has placed, followed by the variables that move the number.

If you are an employer within a recruitment process, you may be wondering about what equity, alongside salary and benefits packages, may secure your ideal candidate. The simple answer to this question… there is no simple answer!

There are many variables that affect the amount that is usually offered by employers, often depending on the risk to the candidate. A very early-stage start-up that is boot strapping and can’t afford to pay much of a salary will offer more than a post-series B scale-up with a proven product–market fit.

Variables that affect equity allocations

Business variables:

• Business status (start-up, scale-up, enterprise)
• Funding received to-date
• Number of employees
• Time sensitivity and urgency to fill the vacancy

Domain variables:

• Do you have a proven product market fit?
• Is your product / domain exciting?
• Does your product have a social good/bad association?

Offer variables:

• Salary offered
• Benefits package and other incentives included
• Value of the individual / what would they bring to the table

Candidate variables:

• Scarcity of the skills / niche skills and experience of the individual
• Value of the individual / what would they bring to the table
• Level of confidence in the candidate

Benefits package examples

We can give tailored advice on benefit packages offered, taking into account the variable factors above. Although there is no definitive answer we can give per job role, here are some examples of recently placed candidates:

In a recent placement, Intelligent People placed a Chief Product Officer at a Series C FinTech (200 staff, £26m funding) on a £180,000 salary plus £200,000 of stock in equity.

In a recent placement, a PE-backed B2B technology business (80 staff, £12m turnover) hired a Chief Marketing Officer on a £140,000 salary plus equity equivalent to 100% of salary, based on the last valuation.

In a recent placement, a privately funded B2B technology business (60 staff) hired a Chief Revenue Officer on a £160,000 salary plus 1% of share capital.

In a recent placement, a B2B SaaS Martech business approaching Series B (75 staff) hired a VP Product on a £130,000 salary plus 1.75% equity.

In a recent placement, a seed-stage consumer products start-up (10 staff, £800k funding) hired a Product Manager on an £80,000 salary plus 1% equity.

In a recent placement, a B2B SaaS Healthtech business (60 staff, £17m Series A funding) hired a Senior Product Manager on a £110,000 salary plus £50,000 of equity.

In a recent placement, a consumer FinTech business (80 staff, £96m Series B funding) hired a Product Director on a £130,000 salary plus equity equivalent to 100% of salary.

This article was updated in August 2026.