Article · handbook

Rewarding Talent

Index Ventures Free Intermediate

A full handbook on option pools and employee grants built on data from thousands of startups. It answers the practical questions behind the early engineer side: how big an option pool to set aside and what a given role and level should get. Deeper than a single blog post when you are ready to design a real plan.

• Set aside a meaningful option pool, often twelve to fifteen percent at seed
• Grant sizes should scale by role, level, and how early someone joins
• Benchmarks keep your offers competitive without over granting