MBB or CTO at Startup

Hi everyone,

I am just about to graduate from a masters degree at a target UK university. I am lucky enough to have received some outstanding offers, and I have narrowed down my options to two:

-MBB BA/AC: Totally unexpected - I received an offer to join one of their Southern Europe offices

-Startup CTO/Head of Innovation: Seed stage startup backed by some top tier UK VCs, comes with substantial equity. I have a lot of experience in their space, and the founders are top notch (ex MBB and GS). 

Base compensation is very similar, but the startup comes with extra stock options.

I am really unsure what to go for, as I would have not expected to be in this position. As much as it is a risk, I am sort of leaning towards the startup, but my biggest fear is that I will be blacklisted by MBB should I change my mind.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts.

 

you will definitely not be blacklisted if you turn down MBB, i can assure you that

these are extremely different roles with wildly different trajectories. what's your risk tolerance like? how confident are you in this startup beyond the pedigree of its founders ie the market, the product, growth opps, etc

are you looking for highly structured work environment advising clients, or are you looking for a highly unstructured environment where you're the primary decision maker and executor? 

 
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