What’s the Difference Between Founder Shares and Founder Shares for Current Job at a Startup?
One of our most frequently asked questions is about founder shares — specifically, what’s the difference between founder shares and equity granted for current job?In this week’s PC Data Drop, we’re giving you the answer using a real-time CEO data table pulled directly from the Thelander platform — filtered for companies with $50M–$89.9M in total […]
Bonus Structures: VC Holds Steady While PE Drifts Toward Discretion
What’s driving VC and PE bonus structures in 2026? New data from the Thelander x PitchBook Investment Firm Compensation Survey shows that bonus structures across VC and PE firms remain tilted toward discretionary pay — but the similarity ends there. The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Wall Street’s 2025 bonuses reflect a “gangbusters” year – […]
VC Associate Compensation by Region: Why AUM Matters More Than Geography
VC associate compensation by region varies widely across the U.S., but the biggest driver of total cash might not be what you’d expect. While associates in Tier 1 regions do earn more, the most significant step-up in total cash occurs once firms cross the $1 billion AUM threshold. Using the interactive compensation maps from the […]
How to Have the Compensation Conversation with Your Corporate Parent
CVC compensation is structurally different from corporate pay. Thelander outlines how CVC unit leaders can make the case to HR and corporate parents for competitive investment team compensation.
Carry Dollars at Work: What Every VC Needs to Know
What are carry dollars at work? Thelander data shows how carry dollars at work — the potential dollar value of carried interest at a 2x gross multiple — has shifted across firm sizes and levels since 2023.
AI Pay Premiums in 3 Charts: How To Compensate Top AI Talent
AI Pay Premiums for Software Engineers and Data Scientists: 2026 Data
CMO Compensation at Private Companies: What It Takes to Land a Top Chief Medical Officer
CMO compensation at private companies is climbing as the role becomes one of the most competitive executive searches in life science. What’s a trending role for private life science companies right now? CMOs. Last week, we hosted a Lunch & Learn webinar (video below) with Cissy Young, PhD (楊 詩華), Managing Director True Search, and […]
Carried Interest Vesting: How VC and PE Firms Are Moving in Opposite Directions
Carried interest vesting is diverging — and the gap between VC and PE is widening. Using carried interest data from the Thelander platform, we’re seeing a clear split in how both VC and PE firms are structuring vesting times. At Venture Capital firms, vesting is getting longer. At Private Equity firms, vesting is getting shorter. […]
Equity Refresh Grants: When and How Often to Refresh Options
Equity is one of the most powerful compensation levers available to privately held companies AKA startups. We get asked weekly: How do equity refreshes work? In this week’s PC data drop, we’re breaking down what equity refresh grants are, when companies actually use them, and how to make them sustainable and strategic. All data is […]
How Managing General Partner Compensation Changes as AUM Grows at VC Firms
You’re a Managing General Partner of a venture firm and your AUM grows from $50 – $99 million to $1 – $1.9 billion…How do you expect the mix of cash and carry to change? The Thelander Comp Planning tool has the answer. Using real-time data from the Thelander platform: Thousands of firms rely on the Thelander […]