Enter your email and we'll share the insights. Hitting submit opts you into our mailing list.
Seed startups pay a median of $160K across all roles in 2026, based on 7,433 active job postings. Salary range: $118K–$200K.
$160K median · $118K–$200K range · 7,433 active postings analyzed
| Role | Median |
|---|---|
| Security | $600K |
| Principal AI/ML | $300K |
| Staff AI/ML | $300K |
| Staff CustomerSuccess | $275K |
| Staff Data | $255K |
| Principal Marketing | $251K |
| Staff Marketing | $239K |
| Principal Legal | $225K |
| Stage | Median | |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | $160K ◀ | █████████████ |
| Series A | $160K | █████████████ |
| Series B | $144K | ███████████ |
| Series C | $174K | ██████████████ |
| Series D+ | $175K | ██████████████ |
| Public | $142K | ███████████ |
Seed companies typically offer 0.1–1.0% equity. Options are standard; vesting is 4 years with a 1-year cliff.
Speechify · Toast, · BAYADA · Clera · Leg io n Health · Vast.ai · Nuro · Ennoble Care · DLA Piper · Fira Health · Chime · Antares Health · Motional · Temporal Cortex · 3Y Health
The median salary at Seed startups is $160K in 2026, based on 7,433 active job postings analyzed by Recruiting from Scratch.
Seed companies typically offer 0.1–1.0% equity. Options are standard; vesting is 4 years with a 1-year cliff.
Among all stages, Seed companies pay a median of $160K. See the comparison table above for how this compares to earlier and Series A stage companies.
Salary data is drawn from 7,433 active job postings at Seed startups tracked by Recruiting from Scratch. Figures represent the median of posted salary maximums (annual USD only). Data updated regularly from our ATS sync pipeline.
📖 Going deeper on equity? See the Seed Equity Guide →
Hiring at the Seed stage? Talk to Recruiting from Scratch →
Are you a candidate? See open roles at Seed startups →
Tell us about your open roles and we'll start sourcing within 48 hours.
