Ask HN: things to consider when negotiating with a startup?

1 pointsamuresan13y ago2 comments

Hello everyone, I just finished my PhD (about 2 years' worth of industrial experience) and I'm about to negotiate a job with a very small technology startup. Their field of activity is not exactly aligned with my PhD work, but there is some overlap. I like what they want to do and I think that it has lots of potential. I would be their first technical hire and this is my first time doing this so I have no real idea what to ask/look for. I also have a job offer from a big company (a stable job, but with less potential for long-term earnings). Basically it's the whole risk-reward trade-off and I don't have a strategy of approaching it. How should I proceed? Could I ask for a percentage? If yes then how could I know how much I can ask for? What specific details should I pay attention to? Thanks!

2 comments

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acrich13y ago· 1 in thread

It kinda depends on where that company is in its funding lifecycle. Startups usually have a recruiting stage right after the series A round is complete, so there's a bunch of articles and blog posts about that situation. Here's a short reading list: http://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/dont-waste-yo... http://blog.keen.io/post/29904565692/how-i-negotiated-my-sta... http://jacquesmattheij.com/first-employee-or-cofounder/

There are a few equity calculators out there on google, both for partners and early employees. They might give you some direction, although I wouldn't solely rely on them.

Good luck!

amuresanOP13y ago

thanks very much, this really helped

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