Thelander PC Digest: April 2025

How Has Comp for Life Science CEOs Changed this Decade?

Recent pharmaceutical advances have placed a significant spotlight on biotech and a race to attract top talent in the field. But you might be surprised to learn that, in the past four years, medtech executive salaries and equity have surpassed those in biotech – at least for companies that have raised less than $30 million in financing.

The demand for leaders in medtech, as well as the broad market applications and profitability of medical devices, powers the growth of medtech companies at all stages. Meanwhile, an aging population plus technological advances, including AI, drive expansion and growth in both sectors.

Thelander’s newest platform upgrades allow us to provide historical year-over-year compensation data for privately held life sciences and tech companies. We know that carving a profitable path for the future with competitive executive compensation and staff-level compensation plans – especially in fast moving industries like life sciences – requires understanding the past and recognizing trends. If you are interested in seeing the platform upgrades, schedule a demo. 

Now, let’s dig into the data showing CEO compensation for biotech and medtech executives.

Biotech Compensation Insights for Private Companies with Less than $30 Million in Financing

Executive salaries for biotech companies with less than $30 million in financing peaked in 2023 and 2024. While the median cash salary for 2025 exceeds 2021 levels, up to $262,500 from $250,000, it dipped from a high of $275,000 last year. 

Non-founder equity has remained flat at 5% since 2021. Total founder equity, on the other hand, jumped from roughly 17% to nearly 23% between 2023 and 2025. 

Key Insight: Medtech Salaries Jump Ahead of Biotech

Founder equity percentages peaked in 2023 at 23% and falling to 22% this year.

What’s Going on With Companies with More Financing? 

Traditionally, the amount of financing a company has raised is the most influential filter in the changing the mix of cash and equity. That holds true with biotech and medtech companies with more than $90 million in financing. In both cases, equity has remained under 5% in recent years, while salaries range from $435,000 up to $573,000. For a historical perspective, see the numbers and the median salary figures for biotech companies in the chart below. 

Since 2022, the median total cash has decreased for biotech CEOs at companies that have raised more than $90 Million. Founder total equity peaked in 2022 at 10.00% and has been decreasing since – leveling off at 7.270% in 2025. On the other hand, non-founder equity percentages have stayed relatively stable YoY, hovering around 4.5%. 

Medtech Shows Executive Compensation Growth

Unlike biotech CEOs, medtech CEOs have seen the median total cash steadily increase from $435,000 to $533,000 in the past five years. At the same time, the median salary doesn’t yet rival biotech executive earnings.

Founder total equity has grown between 2022 and 2025 after falling between 2021 and 2022. At 7.570%, it’s now at a five-year high.

Interested in the 75th percentile for these charts? Fill out the Thelander Private Company Compensation Survey in the next week. Then, let us know by sending us an email and we’ll send you the additional slides at no cost. 

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