Simon Willison’s Weblog

What should the CEO’s salary be in a startup seeking seed capital? Is there an average number?

22nd October 2013

My answer to What should the CEO’s salary be in a startup seeking seed capital? Is there an average number? on Quora

If you haven’t yet raised any capital, how can you pay a CEO salary at all?

If you’re asking about what you should tell your seed stage investors your salary will be, just go for something sensible that allows for an OK standard of living in your area. Your investors don’t want you to be distracted by living in abject poverty so they won’t mind you paying yourself something reasonable.

There’s no harm in discussing your salary with them—they might even suggest pushing it up a little. It very much depends on how much you are raising, your personal situation (family, mortgage etc?) and where you are located.