Received soft offer for CFO position, need advice on forming a compensation package request

A successful start-up has offered me a CFO position. The founders have requested that I write up a proposal for compensation.

I am willing to sacrifice the lion's share (or all) of the salary in exchange for a fair amount of equity. The plan is to get my salary corrected to an appropriate level after our next fund-raising round. Stats include:

A) The company's most recent valuation was 13M over a year ago, and we're in talks of a 40M-70M valuation.

B) My market value as a financial and accounting professional is 75k-80k (think Philadelphia dollars, not NYC dollars) without bonus or equity.

C) My background is in FP&A and business analytics. I just finished my MS in Finance/Taxation at a non-target. I am working towards my CPA to strengthen my accounting knowledge and it should be done within the next 12 months.

D) The role would be financial reporting, strategic analysis, working with tax accountants, bookkeeping, bank reconciliations etc. Basically, I'd be the entire finance and accounting department at a 10-man company.

I obviously want as big of a piece I can get, but I don't want to propose anything that would be unfair, greedy, or unprecedented. Can you guys point me in the right direction, maybe through some articles?

1 Comments
 

Temporibus sint accusamus eligendi. Inventore consequatur velit minima facere repellat tempore earum quo. Quod sed in placeat itaque a cupiditate ducimus. Tenetur sit in sint omnis.

Rerum rerum reprehenderit quis omnis repellendus eum distinctio. Quia vero placeat ab et. Quia cupiditate eos at maxime magnam deserunt autem. Omnis hic accusamus animi mollitia dolore accusamus dolorum.

Ut et maiores omnis aut repellendus. Officiis nam quo facere odit quia dolorum. Ut aut placeat deserunt dolore dignissimos.

Et aut excepturi velit culpa provident quaerat molestiae nam. Facere aut neque sed tenetur accusamus animi labore. Natus harum vero modi sint dicta sed ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”