Omna Search — 2026 Startup Comp Benchmarks

Data points

70+

Across 7 stages

Avg base salary

$183K

Range: $88K – $325K

MBB premium

+10%

$191K vs $173K avg

Seed equity (avg)

1.2%

vs 0.07% at Series E+

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Base by company stage

Average base salary across data points

Base by years of experience

Clear step-up at each experience tier

Base by role type

Strategic Finance and Senior Leadership command the highest base

Base by sector

FinTech and B2B SaaS lead; AI is mid-range in Omna's dataset

Key takeaway: Series E+ pays ~38% more than Seed ($226K vs $163K), but the jump from Series A to B is already meaningful (+$16K). The biggest YOE inflection is at 7–10 years — exactly the profile Omna places most frequently.

Starting equity grant by stage

Average initial grant (%) — the dilution curve as companies scale

The trade-off: base vs. equity

Later-stage pays more cash; early-stage pays more equity

Bonus prevalence by role type

% of data points where a bonus was included in the offer

Key takeaway: Seed-stage candidates average 1.2% equity vs 0.07% at Series E+ — a 17x gap. Early-stage equity at a $100M exit can significantly outperform a $30K salary premium at a late-stage company.

MBB vs. non-MBB base premium

MBB background commands a consistent ~10% premium

Data point mix by role type

BizOps and Strategy & Ops dominate Omna's data

Candidate YOE distribution

Volume of data points by experience bucket — 7–10 years is the highest-volume tier

Key takeaway: MBB candidates earn $17.8K more on average (+10.3%). With ~49% of data points being MBB, it's a core part of the Omna brand — but ~51% non-MBB shows the market accepts strong T2/VC/PE backgrounds, especially at earlier stages.

📊

Two compensation markets are operating in parallel

The market has effectively split in two. Mega-funded AI companies are offering packages disconnected from the rest of startup land — $200K+ base for candidates with just 2–3 years of experience, and $300K+ for those with 5–10 years. Everyone else — earlier-stage startups, non-AI companies — is operating in a different band entirely.

$163–193KSeed–Series B avg (Omna data)

$200–300K+Mega-funded AI company range

$183KOmna overall avg base

For most founders hiring into BizOps, CoS, or Strategic Finance roles, the AI lab comp levels are not the relevant benchmark. Candidates evaluating those offers are making a fundamentally different bet — higher current valuation, lower equity upside, more cash up front.

⚖️

The cash-equity trade-off is real and large

Across our data, the equity gap between Seed and Series E+ is 17x — averaging 1.2% at Seed vs. 0.07% at Series E+. Base salary moves in the opposite direction: Series E+ pays $226K vs. $163K at Seed.

Framing for candidates: 0.5% equity at a $200M exit = $1M. A $30K salary premium over 4 years = $120K pre-tax. The math strongly favors early-stage equity for candidates who can tolerate the risk — but most candidates underweight it because the percentage feels abstract.

📈

The 7–10 year mark is the biggest salary inflection point

The jump from 4–6 years to 7–10 years (+$26K, or +15%) is the steepest step-up in our dataset — a bigger move than from 1–3 to 4–6 years. This cohort also represents the highest volume in our dataset (36% of all data points).

Experience	Avg base	Step-up
1–3 years	$148K	—
4–6 years	$169K	+$21K
7–10 years	$195K	+$26K ↑
11+ years	$221K	+$26K

🎓

MBB background commands a consistent 10% premium

MBB candidates averaged $190.9K vs. $173.1K for non-MBB — a $17.8K or 10.3% premium, consistent across most role types and stages. That said, ~51% of data points were non-MBB, showing that strong T2 consulting, VC/PE operations, or direct startup experience increasingly commands competitive offers.

For hiring managers: If budget is constrained, a sharp T2/boutique or VC-background candidate at $170–180K will often outperform an MBB candidate demanding $200K+ — especially at Seed or Series A where scrappiness matters most.

💼

Strategic Finance earns ~$30K more than BizOps at every level

Strategic Finance and Senior Leadership roles averaged $207–206K, roughly $25–30K ahead of BizOps ($178K) and Strategy & Ops ($166K). Finance roles are rarer, require more specialized skills (modeling, FP&A, investor relations), and are typically hired later in the company lifecycle.

Role type	Avg base	n
Strategic Finance	$208K	8
Senior Leadership (VP/Dir)	$206K	9
Chief of Staff	$185K	10
BizOps	$178K	19
Strategy & Ops	$166K	12

💰

Bonuses are the norm at senior levels, rare for junior ones

Senior Leadership data points included a bonus in 56% of offers; Strategic Finance in 50%. For BizOps and Strategy & Ops, bonuses appeared in roughly 1 in 3 offers and were typically 8–15% of base. The highest bonuses were concentrated in Series B–D companies — enough revenue to pay performance comp, enough growth pressure to make it meaningful.

For candidates: Don't anchor solely on base. At a Series C or D, a $20–50K bonus potential can significantly change total comp — and is often negotiable even when the base is firm.

🏢

FinTech and B2B SaaS pay more than AI in Omna's data

Despite the AI premium narrative in the broader market, FinTech data points averaged $204K and B2B SaaS $194K — both above AI at $178K. This reflects that our data skews toward more senior profiles at FinTech and B2B SaaS companies, and the mega-funded AI labs pulling market averages higher aren't typical Omna clients.

Sector	Avg base	n
FinTech	$204K	4
B2B SaaS	$194K	14
Healthcare	$180K	15
AI	$178K	22
Consumer Tech	$173K	8

🧭

How to set comp that wins candidates without overpaying

Based on our data, here are the ranges that close offers at each stage for the roles most frequently represented in our dataset — candidates with 5–10 years of experience:

Stage	BizOps / CoS	Strategic Finance	Equity (typical range)
Pre-Seed / Seed	$140–175K	$175–210K	0.5–2.0%
Series A	$160–200K	$185–225K	0.2–0.8%
Series B	$175–215K	$200–250K	0.1–0.4%
Series C+	$185–240K	$210–325K	0.02–0.1%

The most common reason offers fall through: Comp packages benchmarked against the company's engineering team, not the market for ops talent. BizOps and CoS candidates from consulting or finance have different reference points than product or engineering hires. Omna recommends locking in comp ranges before sourcing begins — not after a finalist is identified.