Let’s cut through the BS. Got a principal-level VC offer after months of grinding, but their carry structure feels punitive compared to my FAANG RSUs. Those compensation sheets floating around here suggest 0.5-1.5% standard for new principals. But how rigid are these benchmarks when you’re coming from product? Did anyone successfully negotiate better terms by framing PM experience as value-add beyond typical associate skills?
they’re lowballing you. pm experience means jack unless you’re joining corporate VC. demand tiered carry – 0.75% base with escalators hitting 2% after 5 deals. threaten to walk if they cite ‘standard structure.’ my buddy got an extra 10bps just by name-dropping his shipped products
wait u can negotiate carry?? i thought it was take-it-or-leave-it! anyone have template scripts for these convos?
Leverage comes from demonstrable deal flow potential. Negotiated 1.2% carry by demonstrating: 1) 53 relevant PM contacts willing to share early startup intros 2) Shipped features driving $14M ARR at FAANG (analogous to portfolio value creation). Anchor to the community’s comp data but focus on unique pipelines you enable.