Series A & Founder CEO Compensation: What Private Company Data Shows
It’s one of the most common questions we hear from private company boards, counsel, and CEOs themselves: what does startup compensation data actually say about series A CEO salary and founder pay? The answer depends heavily on how you filter the data. There are two common ways to customize private company CEO compensation: by funding […]
How Big Your Employee Option Pool Should Be at a Startup
This month, we are digging into one of the most important elements for a startup: the option pool. Whether you’re setting one up for the first time, preparing for your next round of fundraising or rethinking your equity strategy as you scale, getting the option pool right has the long-term implications for founders, employees, investors […]
What Private Companies Pay Engineers: Engineering Pay in 4 Charts
In the first half of this year, we’ve covered AI/ML Pay Premiums & Salary Structures for Engineers, but this month we’re looking at how different types of engineers are paid at private companies… and how the compensation shifts as they move up the career ladder. We’re digging into six different job families – software, systems, electrical, mechanical, quality and […]
Why Mixing Private & Public Compensation Data Doesn’t Cut It
One time is random. Twice is a pattern. I got off the phone with a biotech VC today who was genuinely trying to understand why Thelander doesn’t mix public and private company compensation data together for the private company dataset. This question has come up enough that we’re putting our answer on the record. 1. […]
Internships Are Harder to Land Than Ever. Do You Know Your Worth?
In a recent Wall Street Journal Article published last month, they touched on how “internships are more crucial than ever – and even harder to find.” Internship postings are down 16% this year, according to early-career job platform Handshake. Competition is up sharply — the average internship posting drew 109 applicants during the 2024–25 academic […]
“How big should our option pool be?”
Welcome back to the Thelander Digest. This month, we are digging into one of the most important elements for a startup: the option pool. Whether you’re setting one up for the first time, preparing for your next round of fundraising or rethinking your equity strategy as you scale, getting the option pool right has the long-term […]
Welcome to the CapLander Podcast: Diving into Private Capital Markets
In the inaugural episode of the CapLander podcast, Jody Thelander and Morgan Thelander from J. Thelander Consulting introduce their new show focusing on the dynamic world of private capital markets. They share the story behind the founding of their compensation data and consulting firm, detailing Jody’s journey from the fashion industry to building a data-driven […]