SaaS Salary Benchmarks

Founder and Chief Executive Officer Salary Benchmarks

Compensation data for the Founder and Chief Executive Officer role at US SaaS companies, based on 21 verified salaries.

Quartile breakdown All SaaS roles

Base salary · US SaaS21 salaries

$140,000

Median base salary

Bottom 25% avg$37,500Top 25% avg$147,273

Average base salary: $99,167
Typical range (P25–P75): $50,000–$140,000
Salaries analyzed: 21

Hiring for this role? At the median, one Founder and Chief Executive Officer costs $140,000 a year in base salary.

See what your revenue can fund

Overview

21 salaries

Founder and Chief Executive Officer Salary Overview

Bottom 25% AverageAverage of the lowest-paid quarter · 3 salaries: $37,500
Middle 50% AverageAverage of the middle half · 7 salaries: $50,000
Top 25% AverageAverage of the highest-paid quarter · 11 salaries: $147,273

Median Founder and Chief Executive Officer base pay by pay period

Per year: $140,000
Per month: $11,667
Every two weeks: $5,385
Per hour: $67.31

Base-pay equivalents before tax; hourly assumes 2,080 working hours a year.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer salaries at SaaS companies average $99,167, with typical salaries ranging from $50,000 to $140,000. Based on 21 real salary data points from SaaS companies.

Quartile bands

Employees · annualized base

Detailed Founder and Chief Executive Officer Compensation Breakdown

Founder and Chief Executive Officer base salary by percentile band
Percentile Band	Salary range	Average Base Salary	# of salaries
Top 25%	$140,000 and up	$147,273	11 salaries
Middle 50%	$50,000–$140,000	$50,000	7 salaries
Bottom 25%	Under $50,000	$37,500	3 salaries

Hiring budget

Base salary · fully loaded

What Does a Founder and Chief Executive Officer Cost to Hire?

Budget for Founder and Chief Executive Officer hires at the 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile of this benchmark, as base salary and as fully loaded cost.

Pay level

Hires

One Founder and Chief Executive Officer hire at the median: $140,000 a year in base salary, $175,000–$196,000 fully loaded.

Cost of one hire by pay level
Per hire	P2525th percentile	MedianMedian	P7575th percentile
Base salary / year	$50,000	$140,000	$140,000
Base salary / month	$4,167	$11,667	$11,667
Fully loaded / year1.25–1.4× base	$62,500–$70,000	$175,000–$196,000	$175,000–$196,000
Fully loaded / month1.25–1.4× base	$5,208–$5,833	$14,583–$16,333	$14,583–$16,333

Fully loaded adds employer payroll taxes, health and retirement benefits, software seats, and equipment at 1.25–1.4× base salary. That multiplier is a planning rule of thumb applied to this benchmark, not a surveyed cost figure. Commission, bonus, equity, and recruiting fees are not included.

Fund this hire from revenue: see what your ARR qualifies for.

Check your terms

Key insights

Founder and Chief Executive Officer Pay by the Numbers

The middle half of Founder and Chief Executive Officer salaries spans $50,000–$140,000: a $90,000 spread, 64% of the $140,000 median.
A 75th-percentile Founder and Chief Executive Officer earns 2.8× the 25th-percentile salary.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer median is 7% above the median Leadership role ($131,000 across 92 roles).

What Drives Higher Founder and Chief Executive Officer Pay?

Years of experience and proven track record
Company stage and funding (later stage typically pays more)
Technical expertise and specialization
Location and remote work policies

FAQ

Founder and Chief Executive Officer salary

On a median base salary of $140,000, a Founder and Chief Executive Officer at a US SaaS company makes about $11,667 a month, $5,385 every two weeks, or $67.31 an hour over 2,080 working hours a year. The middle half of salaries (25th–75th percentile) works out to $4,167–$11,667 a month. These are base-pay equivalents before tax, and they leave out bonus, commission, and equity.

Expect the lower half of this benchmark. Across 21 verified SaaS Founder and Chief Executive Officer salaries, the 25th percentile is $50,000 and the median is $140,000. A Founder and Chief Executive Officer at a seed or Series A startup, or at a bootstrapped company under roughly $10M ARR, will often land between those two figures. Base pay typically moves toward and past the $140,000 75th percentile as the company adds headcount and ARR. Those stage bands are a rule of thumb applied to this benchmark, not a breakdown by company size, which the dataset does not report.

Budget for more than base salary. On a median base of $140,000, the fully loaded cost of a US Founder and Chief Executive Officer is roughly $175,000–$196,000 per year once employer payroll taxes (~7.65% FICA plus federal and state unemployment), health and retirement benefits, software seats, and equipment are added. That 1.25–1.4x multiplier is a planning rule of thumb applied to the benchmark on this page, not a surveyed cost figure. Commission, bonuses, and equity sit on top where the role carries them. Also budget one-off hiring costs: agency recruiting fees commonly run 15–25% of first-year base, and a new hire takes weeks to months to reach full productivity.

Hiring for this role? See what your revenue qualifies you for.

Check your terms

Keep exploring

Back to All Salary Benchmarks

Similar Roles and Pay

Founderpath

Ready to benchmark your own company?

Get personalized salary insights and funding options.

Compare your compensation structure with industry benchmarks and discover funding options tailored to your SaaS business. Use our startup compensation benchmarks and SaaS salary benchmarks to make data-driven decisions about your compensation packages and hiring strategy.

Explore Founderpath

Compare your compensation structure with similar SaaS companies at your stage, size, and geography. Use our startup compensation benchmarks and SaaS salary benchmarks to ensure competitive pay that aligns with market rates. Our benchmarking tools provide real-time compensation data to help you make informed decisions.

Salary benchmarks are industry-standard compensation data that help you understand market rates for specific roles. They matter because they ensure you offer competitive compensation packages that attract top talent while maintaining healthy cash flow. Our SaaS salary benchmarks include medians, quartiles, and typical ranges (P25–P75) for accurate comparisons.

Set competitive salaries that attract top talent while maintaining healthy cash flow and runway. Access real compensation data and benchmarking best practices to make informed decisions about your compensation packages. Use compensation benchmarks to determine the right salary range for each role.

Get personalized funding recommendations based on your company metrics and growth trajectory. Our compensation benchmarking tools help you understand how your salary structure impacts your funding options. Investors want to see that your compensation aligns with industry benchmarks.

Monitor cash flow, runway, and key metrics in one dashboard that updates automatically. Use compensation benchmarks to ensure your salary data supports sustainable growth. Benchmarking compensation helps you balance competitive pay with financial sustainability.

Generate professional reports and insights that investors want to see — no manual work required. Show how your compensation benchmarking aligns with industry standards and supports your growth strategy. Demonstrate that you use compensation data to make strategic hiring decisions.