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Hook
What do you consider reasonable salary for a founder preseed, seed yeah
@kristinasubbotina.esq
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Why it worked
The video provides high-value, specific data on a common pain point for founders, establishing authority through direct, expert-led conversation.
Summary
Two women discuss the typical salary ranges for startup founders at the pre-seed and seed stages. They break down the compensation into three tiers based on the founder's background and location.
Structure
- 1Introduction of the question regarding founder salaries
- 2Explanation of the first tier for experienced founders
- 3Discussion of the average salary for the majority of founders
- 4Mention of the top-tier salary range
- 5Brief commentary on biotech industry exceptions
On-screen text
what do you consider reasonable salary for a founder preseed, seed yeah
Transcript
What do you consider reasonable salary for a founder preseed, seed yeah. Yeah, so I would say there's like three levels of salary that we see. So the first is for the people who have already made a lot of money. They're typically paying themselves minimally. We see that for the multi-exit founder, the person who's had like a big executive job, you know, so that that happens. The bulk of founders are making somewhere between $100k and $150k, I would say. Probably today, it used to be $100k to $150k, probably today it's more like $120k to $170k. And I'm talking about founders living in San Francisco or New York. We do have a third tier which is $175k to $225k. I think $225k is the really the top that I've seen, unless you're in biotech. I don't know why like biotech seems to like be good be cool with bigger salaries. I don't know why. Pharma influence.
Original caption
What's a reasonable salary for a founder at pre-seed or seed? 💰 I asked @Kate McAndrew — after backing 100+ pre-seed companies, here's what she sees: → Multi-exit founders who've already made money: pay themselves minimally. They don't need it. → Most founders (living in SF or NY): somewhere between $120K–$170K. That's the bulk of what @_baukunst sees. → Top tier: $175K–$225K. That's the ceiling — unless you're in biotech, where it runs higher. If you're raising and have no idea what's "reasonable" to pay yourself — now you know. Don't undersell yourself, but don't overdo it either. Investors are watching. 👀 #founders #startupfunding #foundersalary #preseed #venturecapital
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