The three founding engineer postings checked for this guide advertise annual salaries of $120K–$250K, $150K–$250K, and $200K–$250K. Two publish equity percentages; one says equity is offered without a percentage. These examples help frame a hiring conversation. They do not establish a typical salary or equity grant.
Correction, September 15, 2026: An earlier version presented unsupported market-wide salary, equity, and total compensation ranges. Those claims have been withdrawn. This version uses the three linked public postings below.
Founding engineer salary and equity examples
Sample: three distinct postings from three employers, two in San Francisco and one in New York. Each role is titled Founding Engineer. Sources checked September 15, 2026.
| Employer and source | Advertised location | Annual salary, USD | Advertised equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dataleap | San Francisco | $120K–$250K | 0.2% to 1% |
| Hedge Specialty | San Francisco - In Office | $150K–$250K | 1% to 3% |
| Hera | New York, New York | $200K–$250K | Offered; amount not specified |
Do not read the difference between these rows as a measured city premium. The jobs also differ in product, responsibilities, experience expectations, and company context. Three selected postings cannot isolate those effects.
Set the role before setting the range
A founder should first decide what this engineer owns: a product area, the full application, infrastructure, or the first technical team. Describe the first milestone, the customer access they will have, and which decisions they can make independently.
Use the founding engineer hiring guide to turn that scope into a scorecard. Then compare postings with similar ownership, seniority, and working arrangements. A title alone is a weak basis for a budget.
Keep salary and equity separate
State the annual base salary in cash. Describe equity as its own component, including the instrument, grant size, denominator used for any percentage, vesting terms, and the information the candidate will receive before accepting.
A published equity percentage is not a cash value or a promised outcome. This guide does not convert equity into annual salary or total compensation. The three advertisements do not provide a comparable set of grant terms or realized values.
Hedge Specialty and Dataleap publish different equity ranges in the examples above. That is useful evidence that the title does not imply one standard grant. It is not evidence that either range is right for your company.
A compensation brief you can use
| Decision | What to record |
|---|---|
| Ownership | Product and technical decisions the person will own |
| Cash | Approved annual base range and currency |
| Equity | Proposed grant and the terms still to confirm |
| Work arrangement | Office location, on-site expectations, and relocation support if offered |
| Flexibility | Which parts of the package can change and who approves changes |
| Comparison evidence | Relevant postings, source links, and the date checked |
What should a head of talent do with this data?
Build a comparison set for the actual brief, then record where the role differs from each example. Track candidate feedback against the approved range without turning an individual conversation into a market claim. Recheck the sources before presenting the budget for approval.
Sources and limits
Checked September 15, 2026. We used Refery’s job library to find relevant listings, then checked the public employer postings and their published compensation fields. These are selected examples, not a random or comprehensive sample. One listing counts once, and every row links to its source. They are not placement outcomes, accepted offers, or evidence that these employers are Refery clients.
Amounts are annual USD unless labeled otherwise. Company stage is not used to calculate a benchmark. Postings can change or close after our check. Read the selection and verification method or download the source table.
Need help defining the search? Discuss a founding engineer hire with Refery.
Candidates weighing one of these offers should read how to evaluate a founding engineer offer, which covers the equity terms to ask for by name.