What's the typical founder salary? (early-stage)
Genuinely curious. Do a lot of founders operate under the "more equity less cash" mode until Series XYZ or do they typically earn the most because they are the owners of the company?
Let's assume SF/NYC and well-funded by a top-tier VC
I think it's circumstantial and dependent on individual situations. I personally think you should optimise for equity as much as you can. If you wanted to optimise just for cash, you could have found a better paying job most of the time.
From the small sample size of my friends in SF/NYC and are well funded by a top-tier VC, most take lower salaries for more equity. The majority have the same salary as their seed round with small bumps along the way, but nothing crazy. A couple have reduced their salaries to extend runway without diluting themselves further.
The only exception seems to be those with families and dependents.
rule of thumb founder salary is half of what competitive salary would be for same role
I'm not there but I figure there is no typical range.
You have to be able to make your own deal.
The better the dealmaker, the better the deal.
The trick is being able to do it so that the more you make, the better that people like it.