They have increased by 30% since 2019 due to a catching-up effect according to a study. The median gross annual salary of the founders would amount to 120,000 euros.
The remuneration of the founding directors of young French Tech startups has jumped on average by 30% since 2019, revealed Friday a study by The Galion Project, an interest group of entrepreneurs in the sector. According to this study, which is based on 192 companies, the median gross annual salary of founders amounts to 120,000 euros, and their increase is explained by “the shock of the Covid (…) largely beneficial for the vast majority»Technology companies, and the explosion in fundraising amounts.
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A quarter of the founders receive annual fixed compensation of over 153,000 euros, which has risen by 17% since 2019. “The dispersion of salaries has therefore reduced a little between the highest salaries and those of the majority of the founders.», Emphasizes The Galion Project.
According to Jean-Baptiste Rudelle, co-founder of the former flagship of French Tech Criteo and president of The Galion Project, this increase is a “catching up” because “the wages of the founders were rather 30, even 40% below their value on the labor market.“”At some point, their salary level will exceed what they could get as an executive manager in a large company.», He told Echoes.
In addition to this fixed compensation, a “small half of respondents»In the study has a variable part paid according to the performance achieved by the company, and which contributes to raising the gross median compensation to 130,000 euros. The founders of start-ups generally rely on the increase in the valuation of their shares and the gains from stock options.
Deviations
The study also reveals that “the pay gap between founders and founders is very significant with a median pay lower of 33% for women“. The situation has deteriorated since 2019 when the gap was 28%.
“The very clear difference observed is strongly linked to the amounts raised“, Weaker among the founders than among the founders, justifies the study. But this factor alone is not sufficient to explain why the increase in recent years has “benefited men much more than women“, Admits the think tank.