A working calculator, the comp ranges we use across every Nxt Level search, and an exit projector that shows what your equity is worth at a $500M, $1B, $5B, or $20B outcome. Built from public Levels.fyi data, Pave / Carta benchmarks, and our internal placement history across 2,000+ hires at VC-backed companies.
Pick the role, level, stage, and location. Adjust base, equity, and post-money valuation. We'll show realistic total comp across the three outcomes that actually matter: a flat round, a healthy exit, and a home-run outcome.
Defaults populate from current market ranges — adjust anything. Stages marked "(est.)" use the nearest defined stage's data for that role.
vs. market range —
*Today's annual equity value = (% × current post-money valuation) ÷ vesting years. This is what your equity is "worth" today on paper. Scroll down to see what it could be worth on exit.
The question candidates don't ask enough: "what could this actually be worth?" Pick a reference exit, drag the slider, or type your own number. We'll show you what your current equity grant is worth at that outcome.
Reading the numbers: Equity payout assumes your current stake at exit — no dilution from future rounds. Most VC-backed companies dilute another 15–30% before exit, so consider these the optimistic view. Cash earned = (base × 4) + (bonus × 4). For VC-backed companies, the long-tail outcomes (5B+) drive most of the lifetime value of joining early. See dilution & equity math →
If a recruiter quotes you a single "total comp" number, ask which method they used. The same offer looks 3–5× different depending on how the equity is valued.
| Method | How it's computed | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Post-money valuation | % × current priced-round valuation. | Most optimistic. Useful for "what could this be worth" framing. |
| Discounted expected outcome | % × current valuation × 0.3–0.7 (dilution + execution risk). | The honest planning number. We use this for comparing offers. |
| 409A / strike price | % × IRS-blessed common-share value. | The legal lower bound. Almost always too pessimistic. |
Staff Engineer at a Series B startup with a $300M post-money valuation, offered 0.20% equity:
| Method | Total equity value | Annual equity value (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 one is in the middle.
Built from public Levels.fyi / Pave / Carta benchmarks and our internal data. SF/NYC baseline; other geos compress base ~10–15%.
Knowing your equity is worth a number at a $1B exit is one thing. Knowing what people in dev tools, AI, fintech, healthcare, or vertical SaaS actually took home — across role and stage — is another. We're publishing deep dives on real exits in every major VC-backed category, with the math on what early employees at each level walked away with.
From $1B acquisitions to multi-billion-dollar IPOs. Founding-engineer outcomes have varied 100×+ even at similar valuations depending on dilution and equity structure. Deep dive coming.
The highest-variance category of the current cycle. Frontier-lab outcomes have rewritten what early employees can expect. Includes acqui-hires, foundation-model exits, and applied AI rollups. Deep dive coming.
Long-cycle, regulated, and often the largest IPOs of the decade. Equity grants tend to be smaller % but valued at much higher base. Deep dive coming.
Longer commercialization cycles than pure software. Strategic acquisitions by pharma/payors are common. Equity often vests slower; outcomes more bimodal. Deep dive coming.
More predictable, less variance. PE rollups and strategic SaaS acquisitions in the $1B–$3B range are increasingly the dominant exit path. Deep dive coming.
The highest variance and the most public — both the biggest IPOs and the most graveyard stories. Equity outcomes deeply tied to growth metrics at exit. Deep dive coming.
A $600K "total comp" startup offer where $400K is post-money equity is not the same as a $600K FAANG offer where $400K is liquid RSUs. Discount the equity to a realistic outcome before comparing.
A 0.5% grant today is ~0.32% after two more rounds of standard 20% dilution. If you're joining at Series A and the company will raise B and C, plan for dilution in your math.
If your equity is ISOs or NSOs, you'll need cash to exercise on exit (or post-departure). For a 0.5% grant at a $50M valuation, that can be $20K–$80K depending on strike price and AMT.
Levels.fyi medians skew toward Big Tech. For VC-backed startups, the same role can be 20–30% off in either direction depending on stage. Use stage-specific data — that's what this page is for.
At Pre-seed/Seed, the candidates who matter most expect equity to do the heavy lifting. Matching FAANG base while offering Pre-seed equity is the worst of both worlds — high burn, no upside narrative.
A 4-year grant vests to zero in year 5. Without a defined refresh-grant policy, you'll lose senior employees in their 4th year — exactly when they're most valuable.
Three ways: (1) at the current post-money valuation (most optimistic), (2) at a discounted expected outcome — typically 0.3×–0.7× of post-money (the honest planning number), and (3) at the 409A or strike price (the legal lower bound). Most candidates and recruiters use #1, most realistic offer comparisons use #2.
At a Series A–B startup, total comp is typically 10–25% lower than equivalent FAANG cash + RSU comp, with much higher upside variance. A Staff Engineer at FAANG might earn $450K–$600K in liquid total comp; the same Staff Engineer at a Series B startup might earn $310K–$440K with most of the gap in illiquid equity.
Working ranges by role: Founding engineer (employees #1–5): 0.5%–2.0%. Senior engineer at Series A: 0.10%–0.30%. Staff engineer at Series B: 0.13%–0.30%. VP at Series B: 0.30%–0.80%. CXO at Series C: 0.50%–2.00%. Use the calculator above to see where a specific grant sits inside its band.
Stage-dependent. At Pre-seed/Seed, equity has the most asymmetric upside — take equity if you can afford to. At Series C+, the math swings the other way: equity is more diluted, time-to-liquidity is longer, and additional base is often the better trade. If you have meaningful financial obligations, optimize base first.
Each priced round typically issues 15–25% new equity, diluting all existing shareholders proportionally. A 0.5% grant at Seed becomes ~0.40% post-Series A, ~0.32% post-Series B, ~0.26% post-Series C. Most companies issue refresh grants every 2–3 years to offset this.
ISOs and NSOs are options — you pay a strike price to convert them into shares. ISOs are tax-advantaged but trigger AMT; NSOs are taxed as ordinary income at exercise. RSUs are restricted stock units — no strike price, but you owe ordinary income tax when they vest (which can be painful pre-liquidity). Most early-stage startups grant ISOs; later-stage and pre-IPO companies often shift to RSUs.
A blend: public Levels.fyi data, Pave and Carta benchmarks, and our internal placement history across 2,000+ hires at VC-backed companies. Ranges are illustrative, not guarantees — the actual offer for your specific situation depends on dozens of factors. Use the calculator as a starting point for the conversation.
