In summary, 1% equity can be a good offer if the startup has strong potential, your role is significant, and the overall compensation package is competitive. However, it could also be seen as low depending on the context. It's essential to assess all these factors before making a decision.
Angel and venture capital investors are great, but they must not take more shares than you're willing to give up. On average, founders offer 10-20% of their equity during a seed round. You should always avoid offering over 25% during this stage. As you progress beyond this stage, you will have less equity to offer.
Founders typically give up 20-40% of their company's equity in a seed or series A financing. But this number could be much higher (or lower) depending on a number of factors that we will discuss shortly. “How much equity should we sell to investors for our seed or series A round?”
When launching a startup, founders have to decide how many shares to issue at incorporation. While most startups authorize 10 million shares, the number of shares issued to founders will depend on factors such as the size of the employee pool, the need for additional reserves and the number of founders.
When you do your first Equity round in the future the investor will ensure aside from the few founders who own all of the stock at the beginning - they will want a pool of about 12%-15% at least available for employees.
On average, startups are reserving a 13% to 20% equity pool for employees. This is important for startups to consider before they pursue series funding or other investments, in which they may be offering percentages of equity to investors.
When your company is accepted to our Flagship Accelerator, we offer a seed investment of $150,000 for a 6% stake.
In summary, while there's no one-size-fits-all answer, early employees should aim for equity that reflects their contribution and the stage of the company, typically ranging from 0.1% to 5% depending on various factors.
Compensating a startup advisory board typically involves offering equity, which aligns the advisor's interests with the company's success. An advisor may receive between 0.25% and 1% of shares, depending on the startup's stage and the nature of the advice.