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: 

Job title:Chief Marketing Officer
Sector:B2B Technology
Company details:PE backed, 80 staff, £12m turnover.
Salary offered:£140k
Equity offered:100% salary based on last valuation

Job title:Chief Revenue Officer
Sector:B2B Technology – Fulfilment
Company details:Privately funded / organic growth, 60 staff.
Salary offered:£160k
Equity offered:1% of share capital
Job title:VP Product
Sector:B2B SAAS Martech
Company details:Approaching Series B, 75 staff, product team of 4.
Salary offered:£130k
Equity offered:1.75%

Job title:Product Manager
Sector:Consumer Products
Company details:Start-up, 10 staff, Seed funding £800k
Salary offered:£80k
Equity offered:1.00%

Job title:Chief Product Officer
Sector:Fintech
Company details:Approaching Series C, 200 staff, £26m funding
Salary offered:£180k
Equity offered:£200k of stock in equity

Job title:Senior Product Manager
Sector:B2B SAAS Healthtech
Company details:60 staff, £17m Series A funding
Salary offered:£110k
Equity offered:£50k

Job title:Product Director
Sector:Consumer Fintech
Company details:80 staff, £96m in Series B funding
Salary offered:£130k
Equity offered:100% of salary in equity

This article was updated in January 2024.

Equity Calculations By Person