Senior Associates in venture make $178k - $295k per year. Why such a big range? It’s because of how VCs make money to pay their employees. Often times VCs follow the 2/20 structure. 2% management fee on their fund size or AUM to keep the lights on and pay employees. This is given annually. 20% profit share (carry) when their investments exit. This is distributed in 7-10 years usually. Because of this structure, VCs have fixed budgets to pay employees and it is dictated by their fund size. A $10M fund gets $200k a year to keep the lights on. A $100M fund gets $2M. This is why there is such a gap in pay between early stage funds (often smaller) and late stage funds (often larger). Knowing this is important when going into VC comp discussions. For anyone interested in learning how to effectively negotiate VC comp, I wrote about it in detail here: https://lnkd.in/gsWkapXP --- If you found this helpful, reshare to help one other person in your network. Knowledge is power! #venturecapital #compensation
Nicole, this is incredibly insightful—thank you for sharing! I’d love to see a post that demystifies (wink wink) the path to making partner. It feels like such a black box, and your perspective would be invaluable ☺️🪄
I would say that this is for established firms. If you’re a startup VC expect to receive a lot less cash and not necessarily more equity in return either!
"VCs have fixed budget" - that's also why it's so hard to break into VC.
Understandable. The compensation landscape in venture capital can be quite nuanced and varies greatly based on fund size.
Nicole DeTommaso Great breakdown of the VC compensation structure, Nicole. The 2/20 model highlights how fund size impacts pay, especially for early vs. late stage firms. Knowing this is key for navigating career moves or comp discussions in the VC space. Thanks for sharing!
I would say VC salaries in Europe are generally lower. Besides the fund size, it also depends on the EU country where the VC fund is based. For example, VC funds in the UK and Germany tend to pay more than in the Netherlands.
useful - would love to see for different levels of seniority.
Very informative. Thanks for sharing.
Principal at Harlem Capital | Forbes30u30 | Providing insights to demystify the VC industry🪄
1moThis photo is so blurry smh 🤦♀️