Yet, it can also hold important advantages that make joining a pre-IPO private company attractive. Often, small to mid sized companies find themselves at a financial crossroads. (I would argue that most cannot.) Executive equity compensation in a private company has the disadvantage of being illiquid. Every situation is different, but a non-founder COO/CFO recruited early into a startup (say – pre-financing) will usually get options for between 1% and 5% of the company. Does anyone have any average PE/VC industry statistics of the equity grant to CFO 's at Portfolio Company's? Interested if anyone has any insight on those figures or knows of data sources that track those sorts of statistics. Not every highly talented CFO can succeed in this environment. An established company would typically fall into the .25%-.75% equity range. Lead5 Analysis Shows Private Equity Salary Growth This PE growth is generating higher salaries for qualified executives. We’re much less likely to need to take your time asking difficult or searching questions, if we are confident that the CFO consistently delivers good quality, accurate numbers. If the CEO can rest assured that the financials are in good hands, so can private equity investors. I have heard common range is 1-5% with the average hovering around 1-2% and 5% being on the very high end. Private equity is still the place to be for junior investment bankers.Salary, bonus and, most importantly, the big bucks you can earn through carried interest are all part of the buy-side's appeal. Equity stakes can be significant, especially with larger public companies in excess of $500 million. How much does a Chief Financial Officer make in the United States? Half of big-firm CFOs make $1m or more. One advantage of equity in a private pre-IPO company is valuation. A safe pair of hands. CEOs can only make truly robust decisions if others collaborate and support their vision. A CFO joining a hot startup company early on can sometimes get 1-2% of the total equity. Or, you know… PE 101: What is a Private Equity Portfolio Company? Pursuing that CFO job could be the smartest – and most lucrative – decisions you’ll ever make. For example, Lead5 compensation analysis has shown an increase in the average base salary for CFO’s of PE backed lower middle market companies over the last 2 years. CFOs at private equity firms with more than $5 billion in assets enjoy higher pay, on average, than do CFOs at smaller firms, according to a survey conducted by sister publication PEI Manager. The CFO is the face of the company in many aspects of the financial side of the business, including private equity investment and the continued dealings with both creditors and investors. For all the populist outrage that banks have faced over compensation, their executives make just a fraction of what private equity chiefs do. Although less common than public companies, we see a significant number of private companies offering some sort of equity stake in addition to base salary and bonus. Making Strong Decisions. Turnaround and company sale situations are special circumstances, and the increased element of risk often demands a higher equity incentive.