What do CFOs at private companies make?

CFOs are invaluable at private companies (AKA startups) —often seen as the #2 alongside the CEO. At later‑stage private companies, the CFO isn’t just running finance; they’re co‑piloting the business and owning the path to liquidity (which is opening back up). So, what are these key players making?

Using YoY data from the Thelander platform (available through a subscription or survey participation), median CFO total cash has risen from $352K in 2022 to $400K in 2025–26 for companies that have raised $90M+.

• At the 75th percentile, total cash has steadily increased from $453,750 (2022) to $472,500 in 2025 – 2026. Meanwhile, the non-founder equity has slightly increased from 1.173% to 1.300% over the last five years while total founder equity has decreased. 

If you’re a CFO or private company exec planning key 2026 hires, you can access real‑time compensation data for every job title you complete in the Thelander Private Company Compensation Survey—the more you give, the more you get.

Categorised in: Data Drops

This post was written by jthelander