Skill detail
team-composition-analysis
Designs team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A, including role-by-role planning and benchmarks.
Why we recommend it: Startup team structure, hiring plans, and compensation — adjacent to EM people management but framed for founders/startups.
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SKILL.md
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--- name: team-composition-analysis description: Design optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A. Use this skill when planning headcount, determining which roles to hire next, setting compensation or equity ranges, designing org structure, or building a hiring budget aligned to funding milestones. version: 1.0.0 --- # Team Composition Analysis Design optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A. ## Overview Build the right team at the right time with appropriate compensation and equity. Plan role-by-role hiring aligned with revenue milestones, budget constraints, and market benchmarks. ## Team Structure by Stage ### Pre-Seed (0-$500K ARR) **Team Size: 2-5 people** **Core Roles:** - Founders (2-3): Product, engineering, business - First engineer (if needed) - Contract roles: Design, marketing **Focus:** Build and validate product-market fit ### Seed ($500K-$2M ARR) **Team Size: 5-15 people** **Key Hires:** - Engineering lead + 2-3 engineers - First sales/business development - Product manager - Marketing/growth lead **Focus:** Scale product and prove repeatable sales ### Series A ($2M-$10M ARR) **Team Size: 15-50 people** **Department Build-Out:** - Engineering (40%): 6-20 people - Sales & Marketing (30%): 5-15 people - Customer Success (10%): 2-5 people - G&A (10%): 2-5 people - Product (10%): 2-5 people **Focus:** Scale revenue and build repeatable processes ## Detailed section: Role-by-Role Planning Originally a 1720-byte section in this SKILL.md. Moved to `references/details.md` to fit Codex's 8 KB skill body cap. ## Compensation Strategy ### Base Salary Benchmarks (US, 2024) **Engineering:** - Junior: $90K-$120K - Mid-Level: $120K-$150K - Senior: $150K-$180K - Staff/Principal: $180K-$220K - Engineering Manager: $160K-$200K - VP Engineering: $180K-$250K **Sales:** - SDR/BDR: $50K-$70K base + $50K-$70K commission - Account Executive: $80K-$120K base + $80K-$120K commission - Sales Manager: $120K-$160K base + $80K-$120K commission - VP Sales: $150K-$200K base + $150K-$200K commission **Product:** - Product Manager: $120K-$150K - Senior PM: $150K-$180K - Head of Product: $150K-$180K - VP Product: $180K-$220K **Marketing:** - Marketing Manager: $90K-$130K - Content/Demand Gen: $70K-$100K - Head of Marketing: $130K-$170K - VP Marketing: $150K-$200K **Customer Success:** - CS Representative: $60K-$90K - CS Manager: $100K-$130K - VP Customer Success: $140K-$180K ### Total Compensation Formula ``` Total Comp = Base Salary × 1.30 (benefits & taxes) + Equity Value ``` **Fully-Loaded Cost:** - Base salary - Payroll taxes (7.65% FICA) - Benefits (health insurance, 401k): $10K-$15K per employee - Other (workspace, equipment, software): $5K-$10K per employee **Rule of Thumb:** Multiply base salary by 1.3-1.4 for fully-loaded cost ### Geographic Adjustments **San Francisco / New York:** +20-30% above benchmarks **Seattle / Boston / Los Angeles:** +10-20% **Austin / Denver / Chicago:** +0-10% **Remote / Other US Cities:** -10-20% **International:** Varies widely by country ## Equity Allocation ### Equity by Role and Stage **Founders:** - First founder: 40-60% - Second founder: 20-40% - Third founder: 10-20% - Vesting: 4 years with 1-year cliff **Early Employees (Pre-Seed):** - First engineer: 0.5-2.0% - First 5 employees: 0.25-1.0% each **Seed Stage Hires:** - VP/Head level: 0.5-1.5% - Senior IC: 0.1-0.5% - Mid-level: 0.05-0.25% - Junior: 0.01-0.1% **Series A Hires:** - C-level (CTO, CFO): 1.0-3.0% - VP level: 0.3-1.0% - Director level: 0.1-0.5% - Senior IC: 0.05-0.2% - Mid-level: 0.01-0.1% - Junior: 0.005-0.05% ### Equity Pool Sizing **Option Pool by Round:** - Pre-Seed: 10-15% reserved - Seed: 10-15% top-up - Series A: 10-15% top-up - Series B+: 5-10% per round **Pre-Funding Dilution:** InRead the full source on GitHub (opens external page)