Across 4,160 live staff engineer postings that disclose pay, venture-backed companies post higher base salaries than public companies — $220K–$230K versus $199K, a gap of 10–15%. These are base salary figures only. Public companies typically grant liquid restricted stock on top, while private-company equity is illiquid and carries real risk — so this shows that venture-backed companies pay more in cash, not that they pay more in total compensation.
| Funding stage | Companies | Postings with disclosed pay | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | 104 | 239 | $188K | $220K | $250K |
| Series A | 102 | 242 | $190K | $225K | $250K |
| Series B | 109 | 253 | $197K | $222K | $247K |
| Series C | 145 | 335 | $196K | $220K | $250K |
| Series D+ | 349 | 1,568 | $199K | $230K | $263K |
| Public | 274 | 1,523 | $163K | $199K | $238K |
Across 1,083 distinct employers — this is a market-wide pattern, not a handful of outliers.
The obvious objection is that private companies trade cash for equity. Our data does not support that in the way you would expect: equity is mentioned in 72% of public-company postings, against 57–80% across the venture-backed stages. Equity gets referenced at broadly similar rates everywhere.
The important limitation: we measure whether a posting mentions equity, not how much is granted or what it is worth. A public-company grant is liquid; private equity is not. So this data settles the cash question and leaves the total-compensation question genuinely open.
Every active posting in our index whose title matches a staff engineer role, that discloses an annual salary between $80K and $700K, and whose company has a known funding stage. Non-software "engineer" titles (civil, structural, mechanical and similar) are excluded. Medians are computed per stage from the midpoint of each disclosed range. Figures refresh as postings change.
On base salary, yes — $220K–$230K versus $199K across 4,160 disclosed postings. On total compensation the comparison is not settled: public companies grant liquid stock, and private equity is illiquid. This data measures cash, not total value.
Don't startups make up the difference in equity?Not in the way the question assumes. Equity is mentioned in 72% of public-company postings and 57–80% of venture-backed ones — similar rates across the board. But we measure mentions, not grant size or value, and a public grant is liquid while private equity is not. The cash comparison is settled; the total-compensation comparison is not.
Which stage pays the most?Series D+ posts the highest median base among private companies in this data, at $230K.
How many postings is this based on?4,160 active staff engineer postings that both disclose a salary range and belong to a company with a known funding stage.
Who is Recruiting from Scratch?A contingency technical recruiting firm — no retainer, no upfront cost — with a 29-day average time to hire versus the 49-day industry average, 300+ placements, and named hires at companies like Decagon and Mercor.
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