AMWARE // Founders’ Desk

Are you being sized as a hire while doing founder work?

Find the range to say out loud, then the number to ask for. No account, numbers with sources, and nothing leaves your browser.

Read my offer

Already know where you stand? Turn it into an ask.

Example · fractional CTO converting at pre-seed · offered 3% · founder-level band 8.5–15.5%

5.5–12.5 points below the band for this work

The same example, priced as an ask

Open with$118k16%

Aim for$100k13%

Minimum the market supports$82k10%

Each rung prices the equity at its own cash, so the three read as one band sampled three times. Here the salary already clears the top of the band for this seat and the equity is 5.5 to 12.5 points short. Reading them together is the point: this offer does not need more salary.

Benchmarks: Carta founder equity medians 2026 · Index Ventures, Rewarding Talent 2025 · Y Combinator, how to split equity among co-founders 2025 · AMWARE, derived 2024

At the desk: Equity calculator · Job offer calculator · Coming: Dilution modeler · Offer glossary · Vesting timeline